NEW YORK - Brush fires at Great Kills Park on Staten Island that sent billows of black smoke into the air and snarled nearby traffic have been brought under control.


No serious injuries were reported in the fires, which broke out shortly before 3 p.m. Wednesday in the federal parkland.

A Fire Department spokesman says one firefighter suffered a back injury and a civilian was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

Some 250 firefighters battled the blaze, which took nearly eight hours to bring under control.

There's no immediate word on the cause of the fires.

The park is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area.

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Information from: Staten Island Advance, http://www.silive.com


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