By Fred Stabbert III
LONG EDDY – Nearly 100 firemen from seven fire companies responded to a Friday afternoon brush fire, catching it before it climbed too far up the rugged mountains of the Basket Brook valley.
“We have it under control,” a relieved Jason Seeley, a Forest Ranger on the scene, said at 4:30 p.m. Friday. “A tree came down and landed on a high voltage wire, that’s how this fire started. It was simply nature.
“The fire burned about three acres of woods, but no loss of property,” Seeley said. “We have a good response, with approximately 100 firemen on the scene.”
The fire was located about one mile from Route 97, up Basket Brook Rd.
Firemen from Long Eddy, Hankins-Fremont, Callicoon, Equinunk, Hortonville, East Branch and Hancock responded.
As the fire briskly travelled up the steep hill, tankers loaded with water went up a steep wood road to supply firemen with the much-need water to fight the blaze.
By 4:30 p.m. more than 7,000 gallons of water had been put on the blaze.
At one point, the fire “jumped” across the Millennium Pipeline – some 175 feet – and caught another section of woods on fire.
Firemen quickly contained that fire.
Fire conditions were “very high,” according to Forest Ranger Seeley.
“That’s the second highest warning. Only Extremely High is higher,” he said.
Long Eddy Chief Jim Rynearson, who was one of the first people at the scene, praised the firemen for their hard work.
“We had to cut about 70 trees down [which were on fire],” he said. “Everyone did a good job.”
Weekend showers have lowered the fire danger significantly throughout New York state.

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