Crews work to put out Berlin wildfire entirely by Tuesday evening

Crews work to put out Berlin wildfire entirely by Tuesday evening Lauren Holdmeyer and Sarah Darmanjian WNYT Firefighters nearing end of wildfire battle in BerlinFirefighters and responders are nearing the end of a wildfire battle in Rensselaer County.BERLIN, N.Y. (WNYT)- Firefighters expected to contain a Berlin State Forest wildfire by early evening Tuesday after crews worked through steep mountain terrain.The fire burned more than 250 acres in Berlin State Forest, and firefighters began working on it Sunday, October 25. Officials said crews worked overnight into early Tuesday morning and had the fire 70% contained.Officials told NewsChannel 13 they still expected the fire to be completely contained by early Tuesday evening, with the battle expected to be over around 5 or 6 p.m. Firefighters were working to contain the wildfire before it reached any nearby homes or structures.New York Forest Ranger Lt. Erik Stratton said the terrain was the biggest challenge for crews.“The terrain is extremely steep. There’s a lot of leaf litter that creates a lot of slip, trip and fall hazards. Loose rocks, the terrain is our biggest challenge right now. Access to the fire is a huge challenge as well. Once they (firefighters and responders) get to the trailhead, it’s a mile and a half to two mile hike to even begin work, so you’re talking about spending a lot of energy just to get to the fire and then you’ve got to go to work,” Stratton said.Officials said crews remained on track to have the fire completely out by early Tuesday evening.Follow NewsChannel 13 online and on air for updates on this story.