1 Dead After Illegal Brush Fire in Hudson Valley, Police Say

An illegal fire in the Hudson Valley killed one person.

The fire started Saturday afternoon on Ziegler Lane, a private road off Orrs Mills Road, in Cornwall. Town of Cornwall Police Chief Todd Hazard told Rockland Video a man tried to put the brush fire out, but the fire quickly got out of control.

A man in his mid-seventies was conducting an illegal burn, police told Rockland Video.  An unidentified victim was pronounced dead at the scene, police say.

Firefighters from several departments in the region responded to the brush fire and had it contained in about 30 minutes, according to Rockland Video. No one else was hurt.

There is an outdoor burn ban in effect throughout all of New York State from March 16 until May 14. Open burning is the number one cause of wildfires in New York, according to the DEC.