Community Bulletin · Est. 2026

Clay Bird Lane Bulletin

Tracking the ongoing issues, discussions, and requests for proposals concerning Clay Bird Lane, updated as things develop.

CL-2026-012

December 2024: Large mulch fire on Clay Bird Lane draws 17 fire departments

incident · posted December 8, 2024

The Briarcliff Manor Fire Department says it was dispatched at 12:32 AM on December 8, 2024 to a reported brush fire on Clay Bird Lane that became a large mulch fire. It is the largest set of records in the compiled Clay Bird Lane fire photographic and source record. This page is a pointer, not a substitute — read the exhibits and sources before relying on anything here.

Read the documents

What the records say

  • Departments. A December 8, 2024 Westchester County Department of Emergency Services post (Exhibit 2) lists 17 departments: Briarcliff Manor, Armonk, Bedford Hills, Chappaqua, Croton Falls, Croton-on-Hudson, Continental Village, Katonah, Millwood, Ossining, Pleasantville, Pocantico Hills, South Salem, Valhalla, Putnam Valley, Garrison, and Fort Montgomery. It shows thermal-imaging screens and credits some photos to units 2052 and 2053.
  • Conditions. Daily Voice (Exhibits 3 and 4): “A massive mulch fire in Northern Westchester required drone support and hours of effort to contain as crews battled frigid conditions and a lack of hydrants, officials said.” The photo is credited to the County Department of Emergency Services.
  • Tankers. News 12 Westchester (Exhibits 8–10): “LARGE COMPOST FIRE: More than a dozen tankers were deployed to the Briarcliff Manor Fire Dis…”. The source record’s index also lists WPDH reporting 11 water tankers and 17 departments from as far as Putnam and Orange counties.
  • Fire department posts. Briarcliff Manor Fire Department Facebook posts dated December 9, 2024 (Exhibits 14–21) carry drone photos and video credited to the Katonah Fire Department and other photos credited to their owners: a ladder truck at night, hose lines, firefighters with a handline at the edge of a burning pile, and views of glowing mulch. Instagram stills (Exhibits 22, 23, 29–32) carry the caption “Early morning yesterday, at 1232 AM, the Briarcliff Manor Fire Department was dispatched to a reported brush fire…”.
  • Unlabeled photographs. Exhibits 24–28 show fireground photos (an aerial ladder, a portable water tank, Millwood and other tanker apparatus) with no source label in the supplied images. They are grouped here because of their winter night setting and because Exhibit 26 matches the Daily Voice photo; the images carry no date.
  • Water. The summary graphic (Exhibit 1) reads “More than a dozen tankers, 17 departments, and over 30,000 gallons of water used”, attributed to News 12, Daily Voice and the Briarcliff Manor Fire Department. The exhibits in this PDF do not include a water figure.
  • Alarm time. The Briarcliff Manor Fire Department post says dispatch was at 12:32 AM. The compiled timeline lists the county record’s alarm at 12:45:03 AM and last unit clear at 7:19:03 AM.

County record

As tabulated in the compiled timeline (incident 27 of 32):

  • Alarm: 12/8/2024, 12:45:03 AM
  • Controlled / last unit clear: 12/8/2024, 7:19:03 AM
  • Duration: 6.6 hours
  • Category: FIRE — Confirmed (MAJOR EVENT)
  • Incident number(s): 2024-000689 + 2024-000688
  • Mutual aid: Mutual aid received
  • Departments / units: Briarcliff Manor FD (primary/command); mutual aid from a reported 17 fire departments total, including tanker units from as far as Putnam and Orange counties; Westchester County DES provided portable radios/battery replacement support during the extended operation; aerial drone reconnaissance provided by Katonah Fire Department
  • Apparatus (counts): Fire: 4 | EMS: 0 | Other: 3
  • Personnel (counts): Fire: 14 | EMS: 1 | Other: 6
  • Ignition area / heat source / material: Undetermined (all fields)

Dispatched as a reported brush fire on the Taconic State Parkway. According to the compiled timeline, no fire was found there and a large smoke plume led crews to a mulch pile fire on Clay Bird Lane; declared under control by about 8:00 AM. Incident command and extinguishment are logged under 2024-000688; 2024-000689 logs personnel and equipment support. Cause is listed as “undetermined.”

Other sources

From the source record’s index:

  • WPDH / Townsquare Media, “Early Morning Fire Roars Near New York’s Taconic State Parkway” (December 9, 2024): wpdh.com
  • Daily Voice, “Drone Captures Massive Mulch Fire As Crews Battle Blaze For Hours In Mount Pleasant” (December 10, 2024): dailyvoice.com
  • Briarcliff Manor Fire Department Instagram reel (December 9, 2024): instagram.com
  • News 12 Westchester, “Large Compost Fire” (December 2024): facebook.com
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