Manhattan Brush Fire Extinguished After Snarling Commute

  • Washington Heights blaze burns 10 to 15 acres with no injuries
  • Flames erupt one day after officials issue drought warning

Firefighters from the East Rockaway Fire Department put out a hotspot at the Greenwood Lake fire in Greenwood Lake, New York.

Photographer: Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images
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Emergency crews extinguished a fast-growing brush fire in Upper Manhattan Tuesday that briefly blocked traffic, as a deepening drought feeds hundreds of blazes across the region.

The blaze that broke out about 2:20 p.m. local time in the Washington Heights neighborhood, near West 155th St., was under control at 5:48 p.m., a fire department representative said. There were no reports of injuries and the cause was under investigation.