Fire weather conditions are possible Wednesday due to the combination of low relative humidity, gusty winds, and dry fuels.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Red Flag Warning was in effect until 8 p.m. Wednesday for parts of Western New York, including Wyoming, southern Erie, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany counties.
This is for breezy conditions and low relative humidity.
Winds south 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph, also relative humidity as low as 17 percent will increase the fire risk with dry fuels.
The Southern Tier and especially areas east of Allegany county are at a higher risk.
Any fire that develops could catch and spread quickly, so outdoor burning is not recommended during this time.
A New York State Burn Ban prohibits outdoor open burning through May 14.
A Red Flag Warning means dangerous fire weather conditions are expected due to the combination of low relative humidity, gusty winds and dry fuels. Therefore, any fires that develop may quickly get out of control and become difficult to contain.
Those conditions were seen on Wednesday, when Buffalo firefighters were called to River Rock Drive in Black Rock for a report of a rubbish fire near the train tracks.
2 On Your Side was there as crews worked to contain the fire, which started to spread because of the wind. The battalion chief said they worked from the air and the ground to get it under control and added that it’s something they know they will see more of as the weather warms up.
“As the weather gets nicer, it tends to get dry up there, you know, and we do experience a lot of grass fires by the tracks, whether it’s the breaks from the train, or whether it’s from homeless encampments that are along the side of the tracks. We do, in the nicer weather, we tend to see more because it is drier,” Scott Heywood of the Buffalo Fire Department said.
The chief said they had some challenges fighting the fire, including getting hoses through the terrain.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
