A red flag warning was in effect Saturday - underscoring the danger for fires to spread easily and rapidly. The FDNY says it has responded to more than 230 brush fires in the last two weeks.

As of Tuesday, the FDNY has responded to 229 brush fires across the five boroughs, Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker said.

But they also make the area more prone to brush fires during droughts. From Nov. 1-Nov. 14, amid a historic dry spell, there were 271 fires, the most over a two-week period in city history. Now, the FDNY has created its first Brush Fire Task Force,

An elite team of FDNY fire marshals, fire protection inspectors, and drone operators is being pulled together to combat the stunning rise in brush fires across New York City exacerbated by the area’s ongoing drought,