The Smokey Bear sign in front of state Department of Environmental Conservation Region 5 headquarters in Ray Brook is seen Thursday afternoon. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

RAY BROOK — The Smokey Bear sign in front of state Department of Environmental Conservation Region 5 headquarters warned of a “high” wildfire danger Thursday afternoon.

The increased danger comes as a lack of rain, dry air and ample amounts of dry brush — which provide fuel for fires — combined to form hospitable wildfire conditions throughout the Tri-Lakes area.

A statewide burn ban is in effect until Nov. 30 due to the increased risk of wildfires. It was issued on Tuesday as wildfires continued to rage in southeastern New York, burning thousands of acres and killing at least one person. The ban prohibits the starting of outdoor fires to burn brush and debris. The ban also prohibits people from having uncontained campfires, and open fires used for cooking.

Backyard fire pits and contained campfires less than 3 feet in height and 4 feet in length, width, or diameter are still permissible, as are small, contained cooking fires, according to the DEC.

While the Adirondacks have been spared so far this season, several large fires have burned throughout the Catskills and downstate regions this past week, which are facing worse drought conditions, according to the United States Drought Monitor, which tracks drought conditions across the nation. It shows much of that area as being in “severe drought.”

The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly operated by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. More information about the U.S. Drought Monitor can be found at tinyurl.com/ysy7a23c.

–

Downstate fires

–

One responder, Dariel Vasquez, died Saturday from a tree falling on him while fighting the blazes in Sterling Forest State Park, in Orange County, according to State Police. No other deaths have been reported so far as a result of those fires, although they have caused extensive damage. The largest of which — the Jennings Creek/Sterling State Park wildfire — has burned upwards of 5,000 acres in New York and New Jersey.

The fire was less than 50% contained as of Thursday morning, according to the DEC. It is the largest wildfire to burn in the state since 2008, Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a press conference Tuesday.

–

Local risk

–

The Adirondacks — while still seasonably dry — have received relatively more rainfall the past couple of weeks than other parts of the Northeast, helping to mitigate wildfire danger to an extent.

The DEC has several wildfire danger categories, which it assesses daily for the state, including low, moderate, high, very high and extreme. The DEC defines “high” risk conditions for wildfires as: “All fine dead fuels ignite readily and fires start easily from most causes,” according to its website. “Unattended brush and campfires are likely to escape. Fires spread rapidly and short-distance spotting is common. High-intensity burning may develop on slopes or in concentrations of fine fuels. Fires may become serious and their control difficult unless they are attacked successfully while small.”

The wildfire risk for the Tri-Lakes region likely won’t improve until next week. Rain is not forecasted for the area until at least Monday, according to the National Weather Service’s Burlington, Vermont office, which serves northern New York.

The Tri-Lakes area is currently listed as “abnormally dry” by the U.S. Drought Monitor.

If people think that they see signs of a wildfire, they should immediately report it by calling 911, according to the DEC’s website. Rapid reporting is often crucial to preventing wildfires from getting out of control, especially during dry conditions.

For more information on the latest fire conditions from the DEC, visit tinyurl.com/yc7x5yj9.