Anyone in Hope looking toward the northern part of town near the noon hour might have seen a tall column of black smoke rising toward the grey clouds. SWARK.Today located the fire causing this. It was some distance behind the Hempstead County Shop and Warehouse on 102 Brentwood.

A call to the shop just after 1:00 p.m. gathered the information that the smoke was from a controlled burn of brush and that some plastics got into the pile, likely causing the black smoke. By the time of the call the smoke from the fire had dissipated.