Fire at Brookhaven landfill put out with 'no harm to the public,' town supervisor says

A fire broke out at the Town of Brookhaven landfill about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and was extinguished by firefighters by 9:30 p.m., Town Supervisor Dan Panico said.

Panico blamed the fire on dry conditions, adding the cause of the fire has not been determined by the town’s chief fire marshal, Chris Mehrman.

"It was only superficial material," Panico said. "It’s been weeks of red flag alerts. It’s been extremely dry."

Red flag warnings are issued in dry conditions that make even small brush fires more dangerous because they can spread quickly. The National Weather Service has said there is a high risk of wildfires due to a lack of substantial rain in recent weeks.

The fire broke out in an active, working section on top of the landfill, said Panico, who described it as a "relatively small fire."

One or two Brookhaven firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation, he said, adding there was "no harm to the public. No injuries."

South Country Ambulance also responded, he said.

Officials with the Department of Environmental Conservation said they were monitoring the fire and the cleanup at the landfill.

Officials said the fire was about 75 feet wide and 200 feet long, caused by extremely dry conditions and winds pushing it east. 

The fire burned the top few inches of a pile of recently delivered construction and demolition material. A cause was not determined.

DEC officials instructed the landfill staff to water the burn area at the end of the day to prevent flare-ups.

DEC regulators will review air quality and inspect the area to determine if any additional environmental measures are necessary, officials said.