A brush fire that began Saturday in the Shawangunk Mountains in Ulster County has consumed about 2,000 acres as of Tuesday.
State officials say that while firefighters battling the Sam’s Point fire welcomed the damp weather Tuesday, dry and windy conditions expected Wednesday and beyond could further fuel the blaze. The Sam’s Point fire in Minnewaska State Park is about 1.5 miles from the hamlet of Cragsmoor. It’s an area that is steep and difficult to access. Efforts to help are coming from surrounding areas, including Dutchess County, where nearly 30 firefighters have responded with equipment that includes brush trucks, utility terrain vehicles and support vehicles. In addition, Poughkeepsie-based Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation has donated 100 pairs of work gloves to the Cragsmoor Fire Company.
