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Both incidents happened in Putnam County on Sunday, Nov. 17, and were in violation of Gov. Kathy Hochul's ban on burning for brush and debris disposal, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office announced on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
The first occurred just after 5 p.m., when a sheriff's deputy encountered a possible brush fire on Nichols Road in Southeast. A closer inspection revealed it to be burning construction material in a residence's backyard, the Sheriff's Office said.
The Brewster Fire Department then arrived to extinguish the fire. The resident, Ramiro Guzman-Oliveros, was issued an appearance ticket for violating the burn ban and will appear in the Town of Southeast Court at a later date, according to authorities.
Around two and a half hours after this incident, a deputy found another open burn on Laurel Road in Putnam Valley, where the Putnam Valley Fire Department had put out a blaze in an outdoor open burn pit.
The resident, Fabian Sanchez, told authorities that he had been burning wood and was not aware of the ban, the Sheriff's Office said. He was then issued an appearance ticket for the Putnam Valley Town Court.
Hochul's burn ban will continue through Saturday, Nov. 30, and was implemented because of an increased fire risk as the Hudson Valley region experiences drought conditions.
Backyard fire pits and contained campfires less than three feet in height and four feet in length, width, or diameter are still allowed, in addition to small contained cooking fires.
However, fires for brush and debris disposal as well as uncontained campfires or open blazes for cooking are banned.
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