City of Newburgh firefighters battled a large fire involving a homeless encampment yesterday afternoon. Firefighting efforts were hindered by gusty winds that caused the fire to rapidly spread.
At approximately 3:55pm on Sunday, April 2, 2023, the City of Newburgh Fire Department was dispatched to a reported brush fire off Walsh Road near the New Windsor border. The fire scene was located in a wooded area along the railroad tracks next to Mullins Apartments. The railroad tracks lead to the trestle that crosses over Walsh Road.
Firefighters arrived and found a 100 foot by 50 foot homeless encampment on fire. Firefighters dragged long lengths of hoses into the woods to prevent the fire from spreading and began the long process of extinguishing it.
Off-duty City of Newburgh firefighters had to be called in from home to help battle the blaze. The New Windsor and Cornwall-on-Hudson Fire Departments stood by to cover any other emergencies in the city while firefighters worked to contain the blaze.
City of Newburgh officials have not issued a press release or published any information regarding the large fire that devastated their homeless community.
In September of 2022, the Newburgh City Council announced that they would begin dictating the “narrative” to the public in order to improve their “image.” Soon after, city officials stopped issuing press releases about any new fires or crimes that occurred. See the full list of stories regarding the ongoing censorship issues plaguing the City of Newburgh government here.
