Wildfire on Long Island that prompted state of emergency extinguished

The last of the wind-driven wildfires that had stretched hundreds of acres across eastern Long Island, prompting the New York governor to declare a state of emergency, was extinguished by Sunday morning, according to local and state officials.

The fire, in the Westhampton area, was the largest of four that broke out Saturday afternoon. By Sunday, firefighters had suppressed the flames and contained the blaze around roughly a quarter of its perimeter to prevent it from spreading, officials said at a news conference Sunday. The wind gusts that fueled the flames Saturday had slowed to 25 mph on Sunday.

But strong air currents combined with dry conditions in the Long Island Pine Barrens could yet pose a problem, said Lewis Scott, the second assistant chief of the Westhampton Beach Fire Department.

“The weather is still a very significant concern and threat to us. We are hoping for some moisture to come in,” Scott said at the news conference. “It’s not looking like that in the very near future.”

Fire danger risk also remained high in the Hudson Valley on Sunday, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

The cause of the Long Island wildfire is still under investigation, authorities said. Detectives from the Suffolk County Police Department have interviewed 911 callers, deployed drones and flown in helicopters to determine whether arson played a role.

Wildfires periodically sweep through the Pine Barrens, an ecosystem that depends on fire to flourish. But the proliferation of the southern pine beetle, a species native to the southern United States that kills pines and leaves behind bone-dry tree bark, might have also contributed to the rapid spread of fires this weekend.

“There are dead trees all over because of them,” said Edward Romaine, the Suffolk County executive, who said thousands of trees in the area have succumbed to the insect over the past decade. “I am gravely concerned about the health and survival of the Pine Barrens as a result of that.”

By Saturday evening, at least 600 firefighters and emergency service workers had extinguished three of the fires, and the Westhampton fire was 50% contained.

Two structures were burned, and one firefighter had been hospitalized with second-degree burns to the face, Romaine said. Another firefighter suffered a head injury.

Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Saturday afternoon, she said on social media.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.