Outdoor fires, including for brush and debris disposal, now prohibited
WHITE PLAINS, NY (March 11, 2025) — New York State has rushed to impose an early burn ban in Westchester County, snuffing out outdoor fires as dry conditions and fierce winds stoke fears of runaway blazes, officials said Tuesday.
The ban halts all uncontained outdoor fires, including those for clearing brush or debris, and puts the kibosh on open cooking fires. Small, contained exceptions—like backyard fire pits or campfires under three feet high and four feet wide—are still allowed, as are modest cooking fires, provided they’re kept in check.
The decision follows a wave of destructive brush fires and wildfires that have ravaged hundreds of acres in Suffolk County, edging dangerously close to homes. On Tuesday, Suffolk County Police pinned some of the infernos on a backyard s’mores-making session gone wrong, with embers drifting off to spark chaos.
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins called for heightened awareness amid the parched, windy weather. “Suffolk’s wildfires prove it: even a little flame can unleash big trouble,” Jenkins said. “If you’re lighting a fire for camping or cooking, watch it like a hawk and keep water or an extinguisher nearby to smother any flare-ups.”
Slated to begin March 16, the state’s residential burn ban was fast-tracked as a preventive measure. With the calendar reading March 11, 2025, officials say they’re acting now to keep Westchester from going up in smoke.
