Bill Williams is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media brush fires blackened areas of Kinderhook, Austerlitz and Copake on Wed., Mar. 10. At approximately 1:11 p.m., the Niverville Fire Department and Valatie Rescue Squad responded to a call from 47 Karen Court that a controlled burn had gone out of control. Fire officials later requested the Valatie Fire Department respond to the scene for mutual aid. That fire was reported out at 2:31 p.m. A much larger brush fire was reported around 1:30 p.m., at 46 Indian Brook Lane in Austerlitz. Fire companies from Austerlitz, Chatham and Ghent came out and fought the blaze for nearly two hours. Chatham Rescue Squad, state Department of Environmental Conservation police and state police helped the firefighters at the scene. The fire was declared out at 3:23 p.m. A third brush fire, which also began as a controlled burn, brought firefighters to 300 Weed Mine Road in Copake. The fire was reported at 4:20 p.m. and was located well off the main road. Copake Fire Department requested Ancram Fire Department respond to the scene with all available manpower as well as the department's brush-fighting equipment. The Community Rescue Squad, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and Columbia County Fire Coordinator’s Office assisted. Hillsdale's company was placed on standby at the Copake fire station. The fire was brought under control and all firefighters were back in service at 6:50 p.m. Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos announced this week that the state's annual burn ban goes into effect Tue., Mar. 16. Seggos, in a statement, reminded residents that conditions for wildfires are heightened in springtime. “It’s when most wildfires occur,” he said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.