Wildfires Rage In Long Island, New York Declares State Of Emergency

Weeks after the California fire, the Long Island fires damaged a structure near Francis S. Gabreski Airport, prompting the evacuation of personnel as a precautionary measure around 1:45 pm.

No evacuation orders were issued, and no residents were directly in the fire’s path.

Source : X

A massive fire broke out in New York’s Long Island in the United States, after which large plumes of smoke were seen rising into the air. On Saturday, New York Governor Kathey Hochul declared a state of emergency after the fire broke out.

The fires have led to the closure of a section of Sunrise Highway, the New York Department of Transportation reported.

According to a CNN report, the fire fighters in Suffolk County responded to at least three major brush fires on East End, County Executive Ed Romaine said. Later, the New York Department of Transportation said the fires had shut down a stretch of Sunrise Highway.

On Saturday evening, no evacuation orders were issued, and no residents were directly in the fire’s path. However, at least two structures have burned, and crews are working to contain these fires despite facing challenges due to the strong winds. “Our biggest problem is this wind…it’s driving this fire,” Romaine said.

According to the Associated Press, fires damaged a structure near Francis S. Gabreski Airport, prompting the evacuation of personnel as a precautionary measure around 1:45 pm.

“We’re in a better place right now but we are very concerned about the overnight, and the increase of winds,” Hochul told CNN on Saturday. “This could be a multi-day event.” The fires are burning in a nature preserve, but “it would not take much for the fires to jump outside that area and head toward populated areas,” Hochul said, noting the community of Riverhead is three miles away.

Hochul Reminded For California Wildfire

The fire comes weeks after the wildfires in California, “All those images of what happened in the Palisades are so front and center in our minds,” the governor said. “We need to be proactive, preventative and try to stop the worst from occurring with all the power that we have and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Radar imagery shared by the National Weather Service on X shows smoke plumes from several small fires. The weather service had warned of elevated fire risk Saturday in New York amid low humidity levels and winds gusting at 30 to 35 mph.

The governor said that she was relying on state funds to respond to the brush fires and “not counting on the federal government” amid spending cuts.