HUNTER — A man conducting a controlled burn in the town of Hunter was ticketed by Conservation Police for allegedly violating terms of the burn permit, said Department of Environmental Conservation spokesman Jomo Miller.
The man was not identified by authorities on Friday.
On Sept. 12, while on patrol in the town of Hunter, Environmental Conservation Officers Jason Smith and Lucas Palmateer noticed a large quantity of white smoke along Route 23A.
The officers located the source of the smoke on an excavated lot nearby, where they observed five large piles of brush on fire, Miller said.
After attempting to locate someone on the lot without success, the officers contacted Greene County 911 to dispatch the Hunter Fire Department to extinguish the blaze.
Hunter Fire Department arrived on Route 23A in the area of Lustig Road about 5:55 p.m..
The officers then began to investigate who was responsible for leaving the large burn piles unattended. With assistance from Hunter Police and Greene County 911, the officers identified the individual, who then returned to the site, Miller said.
While interviewing the individual, he presented the ECOs with a burn permit for the site, that was issued by DEC’s Division of Forest Protection.
The officers then pointed out the conditions for the permit, one of which is to be in attendance of the burn, Miller said.
The officers issued the man a ticket returnable to Town of Hunter Court. The Hunter Fire Department successfully extinguished the fires.
To prevent forest fires, it is important to always be in attendance and have preventive equipment and water resources nearby, Miller said.
To contact an ECO to report an environmental crime or to report an incident, call 1-844-DEC-ECOS, Miller said.