Homeless individuals residing in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park may have inadvertently sparked the weekend fire that consumed two acres of wooded area in the urban sanctuary, The Post has discovered. Law-enforcement sources indicate that transients staying in a secluded part of the park could have accidentally ignited the flames, which subsequently engulfed the rolling meadow known as the Nethermead.
Fire officials reported on Sunday that they still lack an official cause for the Friday night brush fire. Over 100 firefighters were required to extinguish the blaze, which intensified during a prolonged period of historically dry weather, leaving the landscape vulnerable to fires.
“It’s a very labor-intensive operation,” an FDNY representative stated regarding the efforts to contain the fire. “The steep terrain and windy conditions make the fire move rapidly.” Several locals informed The Post that they had seen homeless encampments in the area and suspected they might be responsible.
Thomas Mason, a 56-year-old retiree living nearby, mentioned on Sunday, “There are at least five encampments where these individuals stay. Sometimes there are more. … Nobody really ventures into these wooded areas except for the homeless. The park rangers drive through but only issue tickets for dog-walking violations.”
Max Shamash, a 33-year-old artist from Fort Greene, examined the burn site on the hill and observed it littered with trash. “There are hundreds of beer cans, suitcases, baby carriages, AC units — it’s like a junkyard that burnt,” he said, noting also the presence of “a bunch of spray-paint bottles that exploded.”
The Fire Department was first alerted to the blaze around 6:40 p.m. Friday, prompting the FDNY to deploy special brush-fire units and drones. No injuries were reported. Mayor Eric Adams commended a passer-by for promptly reporting the fire.
Marc Palmer, a 74-year-old building inspector living adjacent to the park, echoed the mayor’s praise for the FDNY’s swift response. “The Fire Department put it out really quickly,” he said. “This is the first brush fire around here in the past 40 or 50 years.”
A 66-year-old woman who has lived in nearby Windsor Terrace since the 1980s suggested that park rangers should return to patrolling the area on horseback instead of in patrol cars. “The rangers patrolling on horseback really made a difference,” she said. “Driving through is pointless. They don’t even get out of the cars.” She continued, “It really made the park safer and better for everyone. I really wish they’d bring that back and remove these fences in the park, as they’re only creating a habitat for homeless people to set up tents without being disturbed.”
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