Brush Fire Slows Traffic on Route 17 in Binghamton

A lane of Route 17 in Binghamton was closed for a short time after a smoky brush fire broke out along the expressway.

The blaze was reported shortly after 1 p.m. Monday. It was located in a wooded area a few yards north of Woodrow Wilson Elementary School on Prospect Street in the First Ward.

City police officers controlled eastbound traffic on Route 17 while firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.

The brush fire was relatively small. Assistant fire chief Stephen Faughnan said it covered an area of about 15 feet by five feet. He said it was extinguished in a few minutes.

Faughnan said conditions where the fire occurred are "very, very dry." He said a cigarette tossed from a moving vehicle on the highway likely caused the blaze.

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com

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