The 20,000-acre park and part of U.S. Route 44/state Route 55 have remained closed, and over 245 personnel from various state and local agencies were on the scene Saturday, trying to beat back the blaze.
The forest fire is almost entirely contained within the boundaries of the park, but residents of the small Kerhonkson Heights community, which has about 40 homes, were told to prepare for evacuation if necessary, according to Department of Environmental Conservation spokesman Yancey Roy. Although no evacuation order has been issued, firefighters are taking precautions to protect residents.
"We have virtually a fire truck in every driveway," Roy said.
The fire began Thursday afternoon, and was reportedly contained at about 30 acres that night. But the flames continued to spread, reaching 200 acres Friday afternoon, 1,000 acres Friday night, and 2,300 acres by Saturday morning, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
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"You'll see a lot of ground burned and scarred," Roy said. "The land is black, and there's heavy smoke in the valleys."
In large areas of the park, trees are standing upright, but everything below has been burned away, Roy said.
Governor David A. Paterson issued a press release Saturday informing residents of the state's response and urging them to stay alert to changing conditions.
"New York State is committing every resourse available to battle this forest fire in the Minnewaska State Park," Paterson said in the release. "We will continue to work with local firefighters to contain this blaze, to protect our park and the surrounding communities."
Firefighters from 27 local and volunteer fire deparments remained on the scene into the night. Two helicopters, one from state police and one from the national guard, flew over the area performing water dropping operations.
Ranger Captain Dan Walsh said that the ravines, slopes and cliffs in the region made it difficult to create fire breaks and contain the fire.
"Not only is it tougher to make fire breaks, it's much more dangerous," Walsh said.
The Ulster and Dutchess Red Cross chapters and local businesses chipped in to help. The Red Cross provided food, water and Gatorade to firefighters, and set up an emergency shelter at nearby SUNY New Paltz in case of evacuation. Sam's Club of Kingston donated a several cases of water, and the Bruderhof Hutterian Brotherhood also supported the Red Cross.
Dry conditions and a lack of new growth have made it easy for fires in the region to spread along dead leaves and undergrowth. According to the National Weather Service, dry weather is expected to persist for at least two weeks.
"We've had a very wet winter and early spring," said meteorologist Hugh Johnson. "We've literally flipped the switch and now we're bone dry."
Responding agencies include the State Emergency Management Office, Department of Environmental Conservation, Office of Fire Prevention and Control, Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, state police, national guard, Ulster County Sheriff's Office, state Department of Transportation and Ulster County Emergency Services.
The cause of the fire is under investigation and no injuries have been reported.
