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Brush fire blackens five acres in Old Chatham
Bill Williams is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media 10 fire companies March 11, fought a fast-moving brush fire at the Chatham Equestrian Center on Harris Road in Old Chatham. The initial report was made by facility employees at 1:13 p.m., Tri-Village Fire Chief Steve Rosen said. Rosen was the first to arrive on the scene; he said that up to 5 acres of land was burning, but the horses were not in danger. A perimeter was established by firefighters, placing themselves between the fire and the horse barns to protect the animals. Fire officials requested mutual aid from neighboring fire companies and Valatie Fire Company was called in to protect a house threatened by the fire. The blaze started as a controlled burn by the property owners, but quickly began to spread. Windy conditions contributed to the rapid spread, causing the fire to jump to a new location several times, Rosen said. The fire was declared out more than two hours after the initial report came in. Nearly five acres were blackened. Departments assisting Tri-Village included Niverville, Austerlitz, Canaan, East Chatham, Lebanon Valley, North Chatham, Red Rock, Chatham and Valatie, as well as then Chatham Rescue Squad, state Department of Environmental Conservation police and the Columbia County Fire Coordinator’s Office. The annual state burn ban goes in effect Tue., Mar. 16 through May 14. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.