Prospect Park wildfire leaves forested area scorched amid ongoing NYC dry spell

City officials are working to assess the damage from a Prospect Park wildfire on Friday night that consumed a heavily forested area of the Brooklyn oasis.

Firefighters rushed to the park at about 6:40 p.m. on Nov. 8 to battle the blaze, which was first noticed by a passerby who called for assistance. The fire erupted inside the Nethermead — a wooded area a short distance from the Prospect Park Boathouse — amid an ongoing dry spell in New York City, which has not seen significant rainfall in more than a month and is under a red flag warning for dry conditions ideal for brush fires.

More than 100 firefighters came to the park to contain the brush fire at about 9:38 p.m. Friday evening. One firefighter suffered minor injuries. The Fire Department maintained units inside the park throughout the night to guard against any flare-ups.

Aerial map of Prospect ParkPhoto via Google Maps

Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker noted that the blaze broke out in a heavily forested area of Prospect Park, a 526-acre urban oasis in the heart of Brooklyn with the borough’s oldest standing forest.

“There was never a threat to any civilian structures,” Tucker noted.

The Parks Department said Saturday it is assessing the damage and will “work with our partners at the Prospect Park Alliance to restore the forested area.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but the ongoing arid conditions in the Five Boroughs were likely a contributing factor.

New York City is under a drought watch, as a prolonged dry spell this autumn has depleted upstate reservoirs thanks to little measurable rainfall. The National Weather Service has also imposed a red flag warning, as the lack of rain, warmer-than-normal temperatures and low humidity have created conditions ripe for wildfires like the one in Prospect Park Friday evening — and similar, larger fires in northern New Jersey in recent days.

Both Tucker and Mayor Eric Adams noted that the city is prepared to battle any brush fires that may arise around the five boroughs, and that city agencies are working closely together to respond to any emergency.

“I want to assure New Yorkers that we are prepared,” Mayor Adams said on X (formerly Twitter) Friday night. “Our specialized @FDNY brush fire units are equipped and ready to respond to these types of emergencies. But we’re also asking New Yorkers to do their part by conserving water and immediately reporting any fires by calling 911.”