NEW YORK — On Sunday, New York firefighters tackled the remnants of a reducing brush fire within Long Island’s forested area, with authorities warning about the potential threat of further fires due to forecasted strong winds.
Following the outbreak of four distinct fires across Long Island’s vast Pine Barrens on Saturday, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a state of emergency. The fires prompted highway closures and evacuations, including an affected military base. By Sunday, visible flames had been extinguished, including the final blaze located in Westhampton, as reported by Suffolk County Fire Coordinator Rudy Sunderman. At a Sunday news briefing, Sunderman explained how teams were concentrating on securing containment lines to avert any potential spread of the fire, which had stabilized since earlier that day.
Despite these efforts, caution was exercised by officials due to the possibility of wind gusts reaching speeds of up to 30 mph (48 kph), as forecasted by the National Weather Service. “We’re concerned because the winds are still blowing, that might spark up again,” remarked Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine.
Romaine expressed gratitude towards the firefighters who labored throughout the night. Over 80 volunteer fire departments were involved in combating the blaze, which affected approximately 600 acres (243 hectares) of land. Sunderman noted that two firefighters required hospitalization for injuries but have since been discharged. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Investigation efforts involve dozens of detectives conducting interviews with 911 callers and the use of drones. Earlier, Suffolk County officials indicated that the police department’s arson squad had begun probing the incident, though there was no immediate indication pointing to arson. “We’re going to get to the bottom of what happened,” stated Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina. He mentioned that determining whether the fire started through natural causes or had a more sinister origin remains premature.
The fire resulted in damage to at least two commercial properties. Meanwhile, roughly 15 miles (24 kilometers) to the west, authorities were keeping an eye on a small brush fire along Sunrise Highway early on Sunday, as per Brookhaven Town Supervisor Daniel J. Panico. As of Sunday morning, there were no visible flames from that fire.
