Hurtling brush fires burned through a large swath of land on New York’s Long Island on Saturday fanned by high winds, spewing thick gray smoke into the sky and prompting the evacuation of a military base and the closure of a major highway.
Officials said three of the four fires were fully contained while the other one, in Westhampton, was 50 percent contained. Two commercial buildings were partially burned, but officials said homes were not in the line of fire. One firefighter was flown to a hospital to be treated for burns to the face, reports AP.
“Our biggest problem is the wind,” Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said. “It is driving this fire.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency and said state agencies were responding to the fires around the Pine Barrens, a wooded area that is home to commuter towns east of New York City.
“This is still out of control at this moment,” Hochul told Long Island TV station News 12. “We’re seeing people having to be evacuated from the Westhampton area,” she said, adding that more evacuations may be needed.
Hochul said homes, a chemical factory and an Amazon warehouse were at risk.
Videos posted to social media showed flames shooting into the air and columns of black smoke rising above roads.
Air National Guard helicopters dropped water on the flames.
The Town of Southampton issued a warning in the afternoon against starting recreational fires due to the wildfire risk. That came around the time that the videos began appearing.
In a statement, Hochul said the National Guard was providing support by helicopter and working with local law enforcement.
Bd-pratidin English/FNC
