NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A large brush fire broke out Saturday along Sunrise Highway on Long Island, burning through swaths of land and causing Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine and Gov. Kathy Hochul to declare a state of emergency.
“This is a massive fire. Right now we’re hoping it doesn’t jump Sunrise Highway, it’s south of Sunrise Highway, from East Port to West Hampton,” Romaine told 1010 WINS of the fire in the Pine Barrens.
He said that over 35 volunteer fire departments are fighting the blaze, being organized by a coordinator for the county, and that he has spoken with both Gov. Kathy Hochul and Homeland Security.
Hochul told News 12 that homes, a chemical factory and an Amazon warehouse were at risk. “We’re seeing people having to be evacuated from the Westhampton area,” she said, adding that more evacuations may be needed.
The governor said that she already deployed the New York National Guard to provide air support to Suffolk County by helicopter, and that she has called on personnel from multiple other agencies to aid in the response effort.
“Public safety is my top priority, and I’m committed to doing everything possible to keep Long Islanders safe,” the governor said.
Romaine told 1010 WINS in the late afternoon that he will be signing a declaration of emergency, which could make the county eligible for some state and federal aid, if needed.
Fire response is ongoing, and video posted to social media showed flames shooting into the air and columns of black smoke rising above roads.
“We’re talking about aerial support, if we’re going to do a water drop, but the wind is one of the major factors in this, along with the southern pine beetle that has killed so many pine trees that have been dead that are feeding this fire,” Romaine said.
The Town of Southampton issued a warning in the afternoon against starting recreational fires due to wildfire risk, around the time that the videos began appearing.
In her comments to News 12, Hochul declined to estimate the extent of the flames, saying only that they were growing rapidly.
Rough satellite data indicated that fire and smoke stretched roughly 2.5 miles (3 kilometers) along Sunrise Highway, according to NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System.
Police closed a section of the highway, which is a thoroughfare to the East End of Long Island.
The fires raged near the Francis S. Gabreski Airport, from which the National Guard launched at least one helicopter. Personnel at the base evacuated as a precautionary measure starting around 1:45 p.m., spokesman Cheran Cambell said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.