Arson investigators continue probe into Long Island brush fires; weather conditions improve

Firefighters are expected to return to the blackened fields near Westhampton Monday to plow firebreaks and knock down hot spots as police continue to investigate whether the weekend brush fires were the result of arson, authorities said.

They cautioned that a risk remained that the fire could restart.

The National Weather Service said the weather is cooperating; it is less likely for fires to spread on Monday, due to calmer weather conditions and a decrease in wind gusts.

Suffolk County police are expected to continue an arson investigation into the cause of the fires by using drones and helicopters on Monday. It is not known if the fire started at multiple locations or started at one location and then spread to different spots, police said.

Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services Commissioner Rudy Sunderman said the fire will not be considered completely “contained” until 10-foot breaks are built around the full perimeter of the fire, where combustible materials and elements are removed to prevent it from reigniting and spreading.

Throughout the day Sunday, bulldozers and other heavy equipment trucks cleared vegetation to create the buffers. As of 7 p.m. on Sunday, the breaks were 60% completed, Sunderman said.

He said the work will continue on Monday morning.

A team of 25 detectives, working alongside arson investigators in helicopters, on Sunday began looking into the origins of the fire.

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said the investigation includes interviewing all 911 callers.

“We’re going to get to the bottom of this,” Catalina said adding investigators are still days away from determining the official cause of the fire.

Arson squad detectives Sunday afternoon could be seen canvassing the south side of Sunrise Highway, near Manorville and Eastport, examining several locations where stretches of brush along the side of the road were charred from the fires. A detective operated a drone to capture images over the area, searching for clues to the origin of the fire

Weather service meteorologist Joe Pollina said that gusts won’t exceed more than 15 mph across Long Island on Monday.

“Breezy is like 25 miles per hour. Anything windy is in the 30s,” Pollina said. “So that’s not windy.”

While humidity will still be relatively low, between 30 and 40 %, they won’t be as low as on Saturday. In brush fires, relative humidity levels below 30% and wind speeds above 25 miles per hour are cause for alarm, Pollina said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Sunday announced an immediate “burn ban” for all of Long Island, New York City and parts of the Hudson Valley. The ban prohibits igniting any outdoor fires to remove brush or debris, as well any uncontained campfires or open fires for cooking.

Backyard fire pits and contained campfires that are less than 3 feet in height and 4 feet in length, width or diameter are allowed, as are small, contained cooking fires.

“New Yorkers are facing increased wildfire risks due to the combination of dry conditions and strong winds,” Hochul said in a statement, adding that the annual statewide ban on residential brush burning takes effect March 16.

A day earlier, the governor had declared a state of emergency in Suffolk County, which prioritized the deployment of ground and air support to help with fire suppression.

Amanda Lefton, acting commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, said her agency was coordinating air resources to dampen the 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 smell smoke, they should head indoors or wear masks to protect themselves.

A brush fire started around 1 p.m. in Center Moriches on Saturday, and fires spread to East Moriches, Eastport and Westhampton.

The Westhampton fire was the largest of the blazes, measuring 2 miles long and 2½ miles wide. Sunderman said it had burned 400 acres. 

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries while battling the fires and they were both released from the hospital, Sunderman said.

Two commercial buildings also sustained damage — Autogate Systems on Old Riverhead Road and a chemical company, although that building did not contain any chemicals, said Lewis Scott, chief of the Westhampton Beach Fire Department.

No residential structures were damaged, and no evacuations were ordered.

Absent the flames and deep smoke seen on Saturday, firefighters Sunday could instead be seen spraying small areas along Old Riverhead Road, where the ground continued to smolder. The weather appears to have exacerbated Saturday’s conditions, making the fires more difficult to get under control.

Long Island’s most recent precipitation on Wednesday and Thursday saw a range of rainfall totals.

According to a NWS rainfall map, eastern areas where the fires broke out received the least amount of precipitation, or under an inch of rain, while other areas toward the west had an average of an inch and a half, Bryan Ramsey, service meteorologist said.

With these factors and days of consistent high winds, the service issued an elevated fire warning early Saturday.

“All it takes is a very long, persistent wind and you’ve got fire danger,” Ramsey said.

Lefton, the DEC’s acting commissioner, said the fires are unlikely to have a major impact on the pine barrens ecosystem, which she called a “fire-dependent system.”

Brian Gallagher, a forest ranger with the state DEC, said plans had been recently approved to begin controlled burns in the vicinity of the fires. While controlled burns have occurred to the west in Flanders and Rocky Point over the past few years, intentionally thinning the forest to make the remaining trees more resilient, they have not been conducted in Westhampton.

Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville), who arrived at the Gabreski Airport staging area Sunday morning, praised the efforts of the approximately 90 responding agencies.

LaLota said he’ll work to secure federal funding if the fire qualifies as a FEMA disaster — clearing $37 million in uninsured damages.

Suffolk has yet to conduct an assessment of the financial cost of the brush fires, said Michael Martino, a county spokesman.