National Guard helps battle wind-fueled wildfires burning on New York's Long Island

Yahoo

09-03-2025

Firefighters on New York's Long Island were battling a wind-driven brush fire in the Pine Barrens on Sunday, hours after Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency and said authorities were determined to avoid the type of devastation that swept across Southern California two months ago.
The state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services warned Sunday that wind gusts of up to 40 mph were likely, complicating efforts to douse the flames.
"Fire activity is ongoing in Suffolk County," the agency said in a social media post. "There is an elevated wildfire risk in several areas due to dry, windy conditions."
Hochul said late Saturday that she had spoken with Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine and offered any necessary state resources. She said National Guard helicopters were providing air support and that "multiple state agencies are on the ground."
Romaine, speaking at a briefing late Saturday, said county Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services were coordinating the response from about 80 agencies since at least four brush fires ignited Saturday on the East End area of Long Island. All but one fire was extinguished, and the lingering blaze near the town of Westhampton was 80% contained, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico said in a Facebook post.
'We maximized our firefighting capabilities to stop the fire from spreading, then we tried to contain it,' Romaine said. 'But it is not under control as I speak.'
Romaine told News 12 that an arson investigation was underway. Romaine said the fire marshal and arson squad are checking cameras in the area, including drones and investigating evidence trying to determine whether the fires were intentionally set.
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At least one area highway was partially shut down because of the fire. No evacuations had been ordered, but Romaine said that could change if wind gusts fuel an epansion of the blaze. One firefighter suffered burns to his face; no other injuries had been reported. At least two buildings were damaged.
"We are working with the town of Southampton closely and multiple police agencies," Romaine said.
Hochul told CNN the fires are burning in a nature preserve, but that firefighters feared winds could drive the fire toward populated areas. She said authorities were acutely aware of the destruction cause by the California wildfires that swept through Pacific Palisades and Altadena, killing at least 29, burning almost 60 square miles, and destroying thousands of homes.
'All those images of what happened in the Palisades are so front and center in our minds,' the governor said, recalling the deadly wildfires that devastated California this year. 'We need to be proactive, preventative and try to stop the worst from occurring with all the power that we have and that's exactly what we're doing.'
Suffolk County covers much of central and eastern Long Island, the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens are on the eastern end, separated from Suffolk County by Nassau County.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: National Guard helps battle wildfires burning on Long Island