Unlawful burning leads to Beekman fire and charges

On April 9, 2018, at approximately 12:40 pm, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of Sylvan Lake Road in the Town of Beekman to assist the Beekman Fire Department with a brush fire and vehicle fire.

An investigation revealed that a local resident was burning brush in violation of the New York State DEC Burn Ban. The fire then spread and the resident’s vehicle ignited and was damaged. Firefighters from the Beekman Fire Department extinguished the blaze.

The NYS Environmental Conservation Police responded to the scene to assist the Sheriff’s Office with the investigation. Subsequently, a 52-year-old resident was issued tickets for Unlawful Burning During the Burn Ban (unclassified misdemeanor) and Unattended Burn (violation).“Due to conditions that enable wildfires to spread so quickly, burning brush is prohibited from March 16th through May 14th”, said Lt. Shawn Castano of the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office Fire & Arson Investigation Unit. “All residents are reminded to comply with the burn ban to reduce the risk of damaging property or injuring others.”