Backyard s'mores named cause of massive Long Island brush fires, investigators say
Dozens of investigators tasked with determining the origin of Saturday's brush fires on Long Island have linked the blazes to a backyard in Manorville.
Officials said Monday that the fires were sparked accidentally, after people in a backyard on North Cozine Road were attempting to make s'mores. They were using cardboard to try to start a fire, Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said.
Strong weekend winds helped whip the embers across the east end to East Moriches, Eastport and finally Westhampton, where the largest of the fires took root. Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said downed trees and 35 mph winds fueled the fast-growing fires.
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The Westhampton Pines Fire burned an estimated 600 acres over the weekend before fire personnel managed to knock it down. Within 24 hours, teams of firefighters from across the county had managed to contain the bulk of the brush fire and manage its hot spots.
Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a burn ban for the area, including a prohibition on most types of outside camping, cooking and warming fires in Long Island, as well as parts of the Hudson Valley, amid continued dry conditions. Backyard fire pits, small campfires and small cooking fires in contained conditions were exempt.
The ban will be in place until an annual statewide prohibition on outdoor fires starts Sunday, according to a statement from her office.
Romaine said more than 80 volunteer fire departments battled the blaze overnight. Two firefighters were hospitalized for injuries and released.
Two commercial buildings were affected — one has been 'fairly destroyed' and another was significantly damaged, according to officials.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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Honda's Harrison claims first TT win in six years
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Legislature wants to make it impossible for local governments to build back better after hurricanes
A BMW lies submerged during flooding in New Smyrna Beach caused by Hurricane Ian, via New Smyrna Beach official Facebook page Hello, is this the 911 operator? I need to report someone who's a danger to themselves and others. It's the Florida Legislature. No, operator, this is not a joke! Didn't you hear what they did? After one of Florida's worst hurricane seasons in years, they passed a bill to block local governments from trying to build back better. And they did it right before the start of another hurricane season, one that's predicted to be above normal, just like last year. No, I can't tell you why it's supposed to be so bad. It involves climate change, and the governor doesn't want us to talk about that. Even if climate change wasn't heating up the Gulf of Whatchamacallit to a temperature that you're more accustomed to seeing in an oven, this hurricane season seems especially fraught with peril because of the chaos in Washington. The tumult and the shouting in D.C. are interfering with disaster aid and preparation. Nothing increases everyone's pre-storm jitters like hearing that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is not ready for the season. I know Gov. Ron DeSantis has been trying to convince everyone that Florida doesn't really need FEMA, even though it stepped up to hand over $1 billion to aid homeowners and renters last year. But this is the guy who can't even get members of his own party to approve a new state budget. That means we could be facing a state government shutdown on July 1, shortly after the start of hurricane season on June 1. So, given the unreliability of FEMA, the prediction of another horrible hurricane season, and this ill-considered bill that passed Tallahassee with flying colors, can you see why I'm worried that the Legislature wants to kill us? I mean, does it sound to you like they're paying attention to anyone's safety, including their own? Operator, the bill they passed, the one that puts everyone in peril, is Senate Bill 180. That's a pretty good description of it, too, because it's 180 degrees from what would have been much safer for all concerned. The specific part of the bill that's got me and a lot of other people worried would prevent any local government in Florida from adopting anything for its growth regulations after a hurricane that could be deemed too 'restrictive or burdensome' to developers. 'One part of the bill prevents cities and counties listed in federal disaster declarations for Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton — a majority of the state — from adopting tougher development rules until October 2027. The ban is retroactive to August 2024, also threatening to undo any recent rule changes,' the Miami Herald reported last week. And there's no real end-date for what it does, either. We could be stuck with this restriction forever. 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I swear, it's as if we're being governed by the writers of the TV show 'Seinfeld: 'No hugging and no learning!' And operator, did I mention that this isn't the first time they've done this kind of thing? The first time this happened was in early 2023, a few months after Hurricane Ian. Ian, you may recall, clobbered the Southwest Florida coast and killed 149 people. 'Scores drowned as they fled on foot, while in their cars or after seawater swallowed their homes,' NBC News reported. 'Ian was one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the U.S. in the past 20 years.' The high body count showed that the development pattern in that area had flaws. It would have been great if Lee County had done something to adjust its building regulations in response. But Lee couldn't. When the Legislature met in special session the following February, one of Lee County's own, Sen. 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However, the Manatee County Commission, alarmed by flooding from last year's hurricanes, has proposed a development moratorium while they figure out how to build subdivisions and other projects that will drain better. Neal has been one of the more vocal opponents of a development moratorium, and his opinion does carry a lot of weight. He's a guy for whom public officials tend to do favors. For instance, 10 years ago I watched in open-mouthed wonder as the members of the Southwest Florida Water Management District board did Neal a huge favor. They did so despite the fact that it went against a judge's ruling and they did it over the strong objections of environmental activists. Now that the Legislature has said no local government can pass any 'burdensome' post-storm regulations, the Manatee moratorium has been murdered in its crib. All you little Floridians must kneel to Neal and his needs! Give him all your chicken bones! I tried reaching Neal to ask him about this, but he didn't respond. Perhaps he was too busy squelching other good ideas for coping with the increasing intensity of Florida's hurricanes. If this bill becomes law, all the folks buying Neal-built homes will be just as much at risk of flooding as they were last year and the years before that, too. But more importantly, Neal will still make money and spend his spare time contemplating his legacy. 'We want to make sure that what we leave behind is authentic and good,' he told Forbes. I hope someone will point out to him that homes he considers 'authentic and good' won't stay that way if they turn soggy with the next big storm surge and fill up with mold. The larger problem, dear operator, is that Manatee County was far from the only place in hurricane-ravaged Florida where officials were talking about imposing new building regulations. 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During Ian's onslaught, the city experienced 'close to 21 inches of rain and 4 feet of storm surge in some areas,' the Daytona Beach News Journal reported. 'County and city first responders rescued about 215 individuals as a result of the flooding, while over 850 homes suffered catastrophic damage to their properties.' That was followed in 2023 by two non-hurricane storms that caused serious street flooding in a section of town called Venetian Bay. Major roads were impassable for days on end. Residents demanded the city do something. That led to a moratorium on building permits pending work on fixing the drainage system. The city also passed new stormwater regulations in February. But all that will go away if DeSantis signs SB 180. As a result, city officials have written to the governor urging him to veto the bill, and they're encouraging all of New Smyrna's 32,000 residents to do the same. I sure hope they fill up DeSantis' inbox with urgent pleas for him to pay attention to this issue. So, tell me, operator, can you help us all out? Send over some paramedics or even some cops to handle these self-destructive lawmakers? Help them to recover their sense of who they're supposed to serve? Because if not, all of us residents are likely to need some really urgent aid around the time the first big storm hits. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
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Urgency behind study of Baymeadows Road safety
Top stories for Wednesday, May 21, 2025 on Jacksonville's Morning News. Another hot day before a few afternoon showers/storms. Highs will return to the mid 90s today. First Alert Chief Meteorologist Mike Buresh is tracking a few afternoon showers after 2-3 pm in SE Georgia and 3-5 pm in NE Florida. Everyone won't seen rain today, but a few locally heavy downpours are likely with some gusty winds of 40+ mph. A cool front will pass this evening ushering in some drier air. Afternoon highs get knocked down just a bit to near 90 degrees on Thursday. This weekend will be seasonably hot and mainly dry. Three Big Things to Know: Jacksonville City Council Member Joe Carlucci says FDOT will conduct a study on a stretch of Baymeadows Road where a local father and his baby died after a collision. Mitchell Patch and his son Everett were hit while trying to cross Baymeadows in front of Wicked Barley. There are no convenient crosswalks near the establishment. Carlucci says he's making some kind of traffic adjustment a priority. There had been eight previous crashes in front of Wicked Barley since 2023, before Friday's incident, according to JSO crash data. Investigators believe they have found the source of the fire at Jacksonville International Airport. The Jacksonville Aviation Authority Police Department released a report that finds the fire started in a mid-size BMW that parked in the hourly garage four hours earlier. Smoke was seen coming from beneath the front of the car, and in about a minute, the car was fully engulfed in fire. There's no word on how it started, though. The fire spread to 50 other cars. The man chosen to run the St. Johns County school district can't wait to get going. Brennan Asplen was selected in a unanimous vote. He's currently deputy superintendent of operations. Asplen says he'll visit every school in the district to talk with teachers and administrators. He also wants to do more outreach with the community.
