Brush fires in Medford add to expanding list of Suffolk blazes

More brush fires broke out in bone dry and gusty Suffolk on Tuesday, as crews from multiple agencies fought at least five small ones in Medford, cutting through thick, burning brush, in some cases less than a mile from dozens of homes.

Members of the Medford Fire Department, along with volunteers from at least 10 other agencies, had the Medford fires put out by Tuesday evening after battling the blazes for about six hours, according to a spokesperson for Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services. The spokesperson, who declined to give their name, said there were no reported injuries.

Suffolk County police arson squad detectives are investigating the cause of the fires as well as another in Yaphank, a department spokesperson said. Another brush fire, in Riverhead, broke out Tuesday, and firefighters had it and the Yaphank blaze out by Tuesday evening, the spokesperson said.

Fire and police officials had no additional information late Tuesday, including the cause or size of each blaze.

One of the Medford fires Tuesday ignited in an area near Twelve Pines Park. Another fire burned Tuesday afternoon about six miles north in the vicinity of residential homes and commercial buildings.

Firefighters returned to the scene near Twelve Pines Park shortly after 4 a.m. Wednesday to hose down new hotspots there, authorities said.

Three other brush fires were reported in the vicinity of Southaven Avenue.

Shortly after Kelly Coral returned home from picking her daughter up from Coram Elementary School about 12:30 p.m., she said she noticed a couple of fire engines at the end of her narrow, dead-end residential street north of a wooded Medford area.

"Within an hour, I saw 14 firefighter trucks rush down here into the woods ... in our driveway," said Coral, 36, adding that she noticed around 40 responders from multiple departments, including Medford, Holbrook, Yaphank and Coram.

"I thought something serious is happening, this is not just something little," Coral said. After she walked down the block to ask the firefighters what was happening, she said she felt "safe."

"They assured me that it’s a whole brush fire back there and to just stay in the house and if they have to evacuate, they’ll come and let me know," she said.

A portion of Granny Road was closed much of Tuesday afternoon, but reopened around 5 p.m., according to Coral.

The fires follow nearly two dozen others on Long Island within the past week, most in Suffolk County. On Sunday alone, at least 10 small brush fires were reported across parts of Suffolk, fire officials said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul enacted a statewide ban on outdoor burning until Nov. 30, trying to head off additional brush fires amid stubbornly dry conditions since September that have already contributed to several blazes on Long Island and statewide.

The National Weather Service extended a red flag warning for Long Island through Wednesday at 6 p.m., saying conditions in the region were ripe for brush fires starting and spreading due to the lack of any significant rain, combined with gusty winds and unseasonable warmth.

"As we experience drought conditions and an increased fire risk across the state, now is not the right time to be burning outdoors, and I urge everyone to heed our warnings as we continue to take the necessary precautions to keep all New Yorkers safe," Hochul said in a news release regarding the burn ban.

The weather service said 10 mph gusts were in the forecast overnight and into Wednesday across Long Island. The forecast through at least next Tuesday calls for more dry conditions, with mostly clear skies and highs between the high 40s and mid 50s, possibly dipping below freezing in the evening. 

Crews were trying to put out at least 11 brush fires statewide, Hochul said Tuesday during a news conference.

In Orange County, crews have been grappling with "the largest brush fires" in New York State since 2018 for several days, Hochul said. The Jennings Creek/Sterling State Park brush fires are burning 5,000 acres split between New York and New Jersey.

A spokesperson for Nassau County confirmed that volunteers from 15 departments across the county also ventured upstate to fight fires. Andy Ruroede, commissioner of the Orient Fire District, said the chief of the Orient Fire Department, Bill Wysocki, and three additional volunteers left for upstate in a tanker at 1 a.m. Tuesday.

He said these voluntary mutual aid efforts are not indicative of a statewide shortage of volunteers. These missions are essential when a fire rages for multiple days.

"They’ve already been working on this thing for five days and they need a break," Ruroede said. "After five days on line, some people have to go back to work."

With Steve Pfost