Long Island brush fires in eastern Suffolk

Burn ban issued for LI

Gov. Kathy Hochul has issued a burn ban, effective immediately, for Long Island, a day after the fires that covered a swath of the eastern part of the island.

The move comes ahead of the annual statewide ban on residential brush burning, which will take effect on March 16.

The immediate ban also covers New York City and some areas in the Hudson Valley.

State official addresses concerns about air quality, dry woodlands

Amanda Lefton, the acting commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, said her agency is focused on coordinating air resources to dampen dry woodlands, including bucket drops by the National Guard, while also monitoring air quality around the fire.

"At this time, we're not seeing any increased threat from air quality," Lefton said, adding that if people do smell smoke they should head indoors or wear masks to protect themselves.

Lefton said the DEC does not believe Saturday's fires will have a major impact on the Pine Barrens ecosystem, which she called a "fire-dependent system."

"This is what helps the Pine Barrens actually regrow and get more healthy over time," Lefton said, adding that the growth will begin after the next rain and continue over the next couple of years.

Westhampton fire fully knocked down, Suffolk County officials say

The Westhampton brush fire, the largest of the blazes that swept across eastern Suffolk County on Saturday, is fully knocked down, Suffolk County officials said on Sunday.

Efforts are underway to ensure the fire is fully contained, the officials said, which refers to building enough breaks around it to prevent it from reigniting and spreading. Officials had earlier said firefighters had reached full containment.

Winds decrease from Saturday, but dry forecast persists

NewsdayTV meteorologist Rich Von Ohlen said wind speeds had decreased from Saturday, “when we had we gusting upwards of 30 and 40 miles per hour, which was very bad for the crews on the ground.” He said the winds were around 10 to 20 miles per hour Sunday morning, but were expected to pick up again, possibly reaching 25 mph by the evening.

The winds will be coming from the south, which could bring higher humidity and therefore lower fire risk, according to Bryan Ramsey, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Upton.

As for relief from the recent dry spell, Ramsey said, “it looks like a pretty dry forecast until maybe the weekend.”

Arson investigation underway, Suffolk executive's office says

The Suffolk County Police Department's arson squad is investigating the brush fires, according to Michael Martino, a spokesman for County Executive Edward P. Romaine.

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico said the Eastport Fire Department had been deployed Sunday morning to suppress a small brush fire along Sunrise Highway that was probably caused by "hot embers that reignited."

But he said the Suffolk County Office of Emergency Management reported to him that as of Sunday morning at about 8:30 a.m., there were "no visible flames."

Fire status early Sunday

The Westhampton fire remains at least 80% contained, according to Ryan Murphy, the Southampton Town emergency response administrator.

There are difficult working conditions in the dark, with low visibility making it especially dangerous, he said. As daylight arrives, crews will have a better sense of what still needs to be done, he said.

Crews on Sunday will "continue to work on extinguishing hot spots that come up," he said, adding they expect to reach 100% contained by the end of Sunday.
They are bringing in heavy equipment to create a fire break, he said.

The Westhampton Beach Fire Department's chief Lewis Scott said that two firefighters suffered minor injuries, with one released from the hospital.

Two commercial buildings were damaged, he added, and no residential structures. One of the businesses is Autogate Systems on Old Riverhead Road. The other building was a chemical company, but the building that was destroyed was not near any chemicals.

Sunday's fire outlook

Though 80% contained, officials believed the largest of the blazes could continue to burn into Sunday, Newsday reports.

"The winds will keep the embers alive, and we have to worry every day that this fire will up again," Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said.

Firefighters had extinguished three of the smaller fires and 80% of the Westhampton fire. (Click on the link above to see a map of fires in the area.)

Forecasters expected more wind, with mostly dry and sunny conditions on Sunday.

"Gusts will decrease slightly overnight to approximately 25 mph before picking up again on Sunday morning up to 40 mph," according to a state press release.

Westhampton fire now 80% contained

The Westhampton blaze is now 80% contained, officials for Suffolk County and Southampton Town confirmed shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday.

The brush fire, at 2 miles long and 2½ miles wide, is the largest of the four that broke out on eastern Long Island Saturday. Officials have said the other three were extinguished.

The first fire started in Center Moriches around 1 p.m. and then spread east, officials have said.

The tiny beetle that foresters warned created dangerous fire conditions

Foresters had warned about these conditions.

Invasive southern pine beetle have destroyed thousands of acres of trees in Suffolk since they arrived 10 years ago, foresters told Newsday in January. That has heightened the wildfire risk by generating heavy fuel loads, which can drive bigger fires.

"Thousands, if not tens of thousands, of trees have been lost," David Lys, an East Hampton town councilmember told Newsday's Tracy Tullis. "It’s very devastating."

Newsday reported that the beetles are a signal of climate change. Native to the southeastern United States, as winters warmed, they have spread north. They were first spotted on Long Island in 2014, in the Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge in Shirley.

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine and Gov. Kathy Hochul have blamed the beetle killing trees in the Pine Barrens for contributing to Saturday's fire.

Hochul sending 100k N-95 masks over air quality concerns

Hochul said that she's concerned about the air quality in the area hit by the fires. She said that she's sending 100,000 N-95 masks for residents to wear.

She also said that she was concerned about funding cuts to the National Fire Academy, which canceled its latest classes.

"We're in a crisis situation and to cut funding for people who save our lives is deeply, deeply troubling," the governor said. "I'm not relying on the federal government."
 

Hochul: Concerned about overnight, but 'better place'

Gov. Kathy Hochul said Saturday night that no structures were in harm's way of the fire stretching across the East End, and while "we're in a better place right now," she remained "very concerned" about windy conditions overnight.

"This could be a multi-day event," she said in a CNN interview.

In a CNN interview, she noted the Southern pine beetles had ravaged the pine barrens, killing trees that were "sitting there like tinder."

She also said that there were concerns about air quality and cuts to federal firefighting programs. 

Meteorologist: No rain expected through next week

Watch Now • 3:11

Smoke visible for miles from Suffolk brush fires

The lack of rain has heightened chances of fires starting.

Fire only 50% contained, fire official says

Suffolk County Fire Rescue and Emergency Services Commissioner Rudy Sunderman said the fire started around 1 p.m., as four separate fires: Center Moriches, East Moriches, Eastport and then Westhampton. 

Sunderman said all but the Westhampton fire are now contained, but that fire is only about 50% contained. At its largest, the fire was approximately 2 miles long by 2.5 miles wide, he said.

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said the Westhampton fire "will likely not be under control for several hours, if not tomorrow, because winds will keep the embers going." 

One firefighter injured while fighting fire

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said there has been one injury so far related to the fire – a second-degree burn on the face of one of the firefighters. That firefighter was airlifted to Stony Brook University's Burn Center.

Romaine said two commercial structures have also been damaged by the fire: one at Gabreski Airport and one on County Route 31.

No residences are currently threatened, but officials are urging residents to remain vigilant and officials will quickly notify if that changes, Southampton Police Chief James Kiernan said.

Hochul declares state of emergency

Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Saturday afternoon as dozens of fire departments battled an extensive fire stretching across the East End.

The fire, which has burned from areas of Center Moriches to parts of Westhampton along Sunrise Highway, is expected to prompt a multi-day effort, Hochul told Newsday during a phone interview Saturday afternoon.

"It's not contained," Hochul said, adding that dry and windy conditions are making the area "a tinder box."

Hochul said her office is in contact with Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine and that she deployed personnel from multiple state agencies to assist in the response. The state has an MC-130 in the air reporting on the fire and four Black Hawk helicopters supporting in the fire response, including one that was dropping 660 gallon buckets of water on the blaze.

"This is not a situation that's under control at this moment," Hochul said.

Read more here.

Hochul to give fire update

Gov. Kathy Hochul will be on CNN at 7 p.m. to give an update on the brush fire currently blazing in eastern Suffolk County, her press office said.

County executive on the scene of fire

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine is on the scene of a fire burning on the East End, saying he is considering evacuating Gabreski Airport and surrounding areas, including former Coast Guard housing just west of there.

“It’s going to be very active,” Romaine said in an interview, noting that there are now 35 fire departments working to contain the blaze, which has burned from areas of Center Moriches to parts of Westhampton along Sunrise Highway.

Romaine at 3:45 said he’d just spoken to Gov. Kathy Hochul to give her an update and discuss the prospects of water dumps on the blaze. “We’re not doing that now,” Romaine said.

“The winds and all the dead pine trees from the pine beetle are making this a nightmare fire to fight,” Romaine said.

At least one house has been damaged, he said.

Romaine also noted the county is making a decision to evacuate the Amazon warehouse near the airport, because there are fireworks inside. “We’re making those [evacuation] decisions now,” he said.

The county has set up a staging area at a Suffolk Water Authority facility at the Westhampton exit of Sunrise highway.

A major concern, Romaine said, is making sure the fire doesn’t cross the south side of Sunrise to the north side, where there are thousands of acres of pine barrens, much of it dead trees. “This is truly concerning,” Romaine said. “I see where the fire has already burned through areas along Sunrise Highway….If it jumps the highway we’ll have a very serous problem.”