KERHONKSON - Dry conditions across upstate New York have sparked grass and brush fires - including a 3,100-acre blaze in the Catskill Mountains - and prompted widespread bans on open burning.

Emergency crews were still battling the fire in the Shawangunk Ridge area of Minnewaska State Park on Monday, but state Department of Environmental Conservation Spokesman Yancey Roy said it was about 80 percent contained as of Monday afternoon.

Roy said Sunday's cooler temperatures and increased humidity helped crews' intensify efforts with helicopters. It also allowed them to work overnight for the first time since the fire began Thursday afternoon.

The forest is mainly hardwoods, pitch pine and mountain laurel.

Hundreds of people from the state, Ulster County and more than 30 area fire companies have been fighting the fire in the park, which remained closed Monday. Two Black Hawk helicopters from Fort Drum were also dropping water on the fire throughout the day.

Tom Rinaldi, director of the state's forest ranger division, said it's the largest wildfire in the state since 1995's 5,000-acre Sunrise fire in Suffolk County.

Meanwhile, state officials urged residents throughout the area to avoid open burning because of the dry conditions, and outdoor burn bans have been issued in many communities, including Rensselaer, Albany, Schoharie, Saratoga and Montgomery counties.

Dozens of other, smaller brush fires kept fire companies across upstate busy throughout the past week, including one that burned 49 acres in Rensselaerville in southern Albany County and a 30-acre brush fire in Washington County Saturday.

Roy said there are currently 12 wildfires considered active, including a 30-acre fire in Oswego County that hadn't been contained as of Monday.

There have been 70 so far this year, and spring is usually the biggest season for wildfires. Out of 231 wildfires in 2006, 211 happened in the spring, according to DEC reports. Statistics for 2007 aren't available yet.

Rinaldi said higher temperatures, little rain and low humidity this month have created ideal conditions for wildfires, especially because there aren't many leaves on the trees yet.

“We're a little more active than other years,” he said. “We're seeing larger fires than usual. This year we've had six fires that were 10 or more acres.”

According to the National Weather Service, much of upstate New York has had less than 1.5 inches of precipitation so far this month, compared to an average of about 2.15 inches.

“We have brush fires every spring. The one thing that's a little different this time is that there's been no measurable precipitation for most places since April 13,” said meteorologist John Quinlan.

The next chance of any rain at all won't be until late Wednesday afternoon and evening, when there's a 30-to-40 percent chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms, according to the weather service. There's also a 30-to-40 percent chance of showers late Friday.

“To alleviate the dry conditions, we need a widespread, substantial rainfall, and that's not in the foreseeable future until Sunday at the earliest,” Quinlan said.