Rockland County Fire and Emergency Services Director Gordon Wren Jr., at podium, with Rockland County Sheriff Louis Falco to discuss Clausland. Photos: Craig Sherman & Bill Demarest
The Clausland Mountain brush fire was finally contained and doused – with a little help from the weather.
A spark on a mountain in Blauvelt State Park turned into an aggressive fire that tested county resources and eventually turned into a showcase for the Rockland County rescue and response communities as they united and swiftly went to work on the Clausland Mountain rings of fire.
Agencies woked for three days running on the Blauvelt State Park fire and tamped out Saturday out most of the blaze that filled the skies south of Nyack with a smokey haze.
Rockland County Fire and Emergency Services Director Gordon Wren Jr. officially announced Saturday night that the fire had run its course. The collective actions of agencies from New York state and Rockland and Westchester counties, including police, park, town, village, county and state response teams, worked together to contain the park blaze.
Helicopters were a constant sound and sight most of the weekend as they swept through the area, gulping from nearby water sources and ferrying bucketfuls back up into the sky to pour on the fire hot spots below.
According to a report by Bill Demarest in Nyack Free Press, Rockland Sheriff Department arson investigators have focused on the popular Clausland Mountain rock outcrop known as “TZ Rock” as a possible spark point for the fire. “TZ Rock” overlooks nearby Tappan Zee High School in Orangeburg and is a popular destination.
As in the recent small Torne Mountain brush fire in Harriman State Park, the smell of charred earth wafted through surrounding communities in a haze of smoke, causing complaints. Demarest reported that Gorden Wren said one Nyack volunteer firefighter was treated for smoke inhalation and dehydration at Nyack Hospital while a New Jersey volunteer firefighter slipped on the “steep slopes of Clausland Mountain on Friday and broke an ankle.”
A special interdepartmental Rockland County Technical Rescue Team scrambled into action for the rescue.
Demarest has a series of live action reporting on the brush fire from beginning to end detailing all the activities, from volunteer responses to local reactions and smoke haze to supply drive and final containment. More vivid detail at Nyack Free Press:
Night Fire — Thursday night the battle was abandoned to darkness as area skies lit up.
Hazy Days and Smoke Alerts — Smokey Nyack and Connecticut complains of Clausland Mountain.
Food Drive — The call goes out for supplies to feed the firefighters.
All photos courtesy of Bill Demarest, Craig Sherman and/or Kenny Flynn.
