Homeless people camping in Brooklyn's Prospect Park may have ignited a weekend wildfire that burned two wooded acres in the urban oasis, The Post has learned. Ta.
Law enforcement officials say there are indications that a vagrant staying in a secluded part of the park may have accidentally started the fire, which later engulfed the rolling meadow known as Nethermead. said.
Fire officials said Sunday that the official cause of the brush fire, which broke out Friday night, was not yet known.
It took more than 100 firefighters to extinguish the fires, which exploded during periods of historically dry weather, making the dry land prone to burns.
“This is a very labor-intensive operation,” an FDNY official said of efforts to contain the fire. “But with this steep terrain and windy conditions, fire can move quickly.”
Several local residents told the Post they had seen homeless people camping in the area and wouldn't be surprised if they were the cause.
“There are at least five encampments where they hang out,” Thomas Mason, a 56-year-old retiree who lives nearby, said Sunday.
“Sometimes it's more than that. … No one really goes into these forested areas except for homeless people,” he said. “Park rangers drive through here, but they come by car. And they only hand out dog walking tickets for off-leash dogs.”
Max Shamash, a 33-year-old artist from Fort Greene, said he looked at the fire site on the hill and noticed trash strewn about.
“There were hundreds of beer cans, suitcases, prams, air conditioners, it looked like a burned junkyard,” he said, adding there was also “a bunch of spray paint bottles that exploded.”
Someone first called the fire department about the fire around 6:40 p.m. Friday, which prompted the FDNY to dispatch a special wildfire unit and a drone.
No one was injured, officials said.
Mayor Eric Adams praised onlookers who quickly reported the fire.
“We were very fortunate that a passerby saw something and took action,” Adams said Friday night. “They notified the FDNY and they responded immediately.”
Mark Palmer, 74, a building inspector who lives right next to the park, agreed with the mayor about the FDNY's swift action.
“The fire department put it out really quickly,” he said. “This is the first wildfire I can think of in the last 40 or 50 years around here.”
The 66-year-old woman, who has lived in nearby Windsor Terrace since the 1980s, said park wardens should go back to patrolling the area with horses instead of police cars.
“Rangers patrolling on horseback have really made a difference,” she says. “There’s no point in driving through, they won’t even get out of the car.
“It really made it safer and better for everyone,” she continued about horse patrols. “I really wish they would bring it back and remove the fence.” [in the park]Because all they're doing is creating a habitat where homeless people can pitch their tents and be undisturbed. ”
