NEW YORK — Quick-moving brush fires fanned by excessive winds burned via a big swath of land on New York’s Lengthy Island on Saturday, spewing thick grey smoke into the sky and prompting the evacuation of a army base and the closure of a serious freeway.
Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency and mentioned state companies have been responding to the fires across the Pine Barrens, a wooded space that’s dwelling to commuter cities east of New York Metropolis. She mentioned houses, a chemical manufacturing facility and an Amazon warehouse have been in danger and extra evacuations could also be wanted.
“That is nonetheless uncontrolled at this second,” Hochul informed Lengthy Island TV station Information 12. “We’re seeing individuals having to be evacuated from the Westhampton space.”
Officers mentioned three of the 4 fires have been totally contained, with the hearth in Westhampton 50% contained. Two business buildings have been partially burned, however officers mentioned houses weren’t within the line of fireside.
One firefighter was flown to a hospital to be handled for burns to the face.
“Our greatest downside is the wind,” Suffolk County Government Ed Romaine mentioned. “It’s driving this hearth.”
Movies posted to social media confirmed flames taking pictures into the air and columns of black smoke rising above roads.
Air Nationwide Guard helicopters dropped water on the flames.
The City of Southampton issued a warning within the afternoon in opposition to beginning leisure fires because of the wildfire danger. That got here across the time that the movies started showing.
In a press release, Hochul mentioned the Nationwide Guard was offering assist by helicopter and dealing with native regulation enforcement.
“Public security is my high precedence, and I am dedicated to doing the whole lot potential to maintain Lengthy Islanders secure,” she mentioned.
In her feedback to Information 12, Hochul declined to estimate the extent of the flames, saying solely that they have been rising quickly.
Tough satellite tv for pc information indicated that fireside and smoke stretched roughly 2.5 miles (3 kilometers) alongside Dawn Freeway, in keeping with NASA’s Hearth Info for Useful resource Administration System.
Police closed a piece of the freeway, which is a thoroughfare to the East Finish of Lengthy Island.
The fires raged close to the Francis S. Gabreski Airport, from which the Nationwide Guard launched not less than one helicopter. One of many business buildings that partially burned was close to the airport.
Personnel on the base evacuated as a precautionary measure beginning round 1:45 p.m., spokesman Cheran Cambell mentioned in a press release.
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