Forest fires in New York City are nearly unprecedented. None have been recorded in Prospect Park in recent history, and while wildfires are part of the natural cycle in some parts of the country, they’re extremely uncommon in urban forests.

On Friday night, flames could be seen piercing through trees in the 526-acre New York City park in the middle of the borough.

A brush fire broke out in Brooklyn’s historic Prospect Park on Friday night amid a drought across the northeast. A passerby reported the fire at about 6:40 p.m., and firefighters battled the blaze for more than three hours,