WESTHAMPTON BEACH, N.Y. — A brush fire on New York’s Long Island that has burned 400 acres and prompted a response from 80 fire departments and 600 personnel is now 80% contained, according to Suffolk County officials.
The Westhampton Pines Fire, which erupted Saturday afternoon, is fully knocked down, meaning it is no longer visible, Suffolk County Fire Coordinator Rudy Sunderman said in a news briefing Sunday morning.
“Tomorrow we hope at some point this will be a controlled situation,” Sunderman told NBC News.
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said in a press conference that the fire was about 80% contained.
“This fire isn’t the threat that it was yesterday,” he said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Sunday issued a prohibition on most types of outside camping, cooking and warming fires in Long Island, as well as parts of the Hudson Valley amid continued dry conditions. Backyard fire pits, small campfires and small cooking fires in contained conditions were exempted.
The ban will be in place until an annual statewide prohibition on outdoor fires starts March 16, according to a statement from her office.
On Saturday, 35 mph winds and downed trees fueled the Westhampton Pines Fire, creating huge plumes of smoke that engulfed the area, Romaine said.
Investigators, including dozens of detectives, are working to determine the fire’s origin, but it’s cause remains unclear.
Two commercial buildings were affected — one has been “fairly destroyed” and another was significantly damaged, according to officials.
One of the buildings affected by the fire was AutoGate Systems Distributions, run by Mark Cirillo. He watched in horror as flames towered over his Westhampton business, causing what he said is thousands of dollars of damages.
“Our paint shop and storage barn is ruined inside,” Cirillo told NBC News. “We lost a couple of storage sheds like you see here with materials and equipment — and aside from that, we are amazingly fortunate.”
Four wildfires burned in Suffolk County on Saturday. They erupted around 1 p.m. — first in the hamlet of Center Moriches, then in East Moriches, followed by the Pine Barrens and Westhampton, Sunderman said Sunday. The fires have burned around 600 to 700 acres in total, according to Romaine.
By Sunday night, only the blaze in Westhampton was still burning, NBC New York reported.
Two fire personnel were injured in the fires, one who sustained second-degree burns to his face and another who had a head injury, officials said. Both were at home recovering Sunday, Sunderman said.
Romaine said he received calls from President Donald Trump’s team, Hochul and Sen. Chuck Schumer following the eruption of the fires Saturday.
“Sometimes we forget that in times of crisis, times of danger, Americans can come together and can address problems,” Romaine said. “So, my thank you, particularly to the volunteers that all showed up that helped us contain this fire.”
Hochul declared a state of emergency in the county Saturday amid brush fires in the Pine Barrens, she said on X.
The region affected by the risk — southeastern New York state, northern New Jersey and southern Connecticut — included Long Island and all five of New York City’s boroughs.
On Sunday, fire weather conditions continued to improve for most in the Northeast. Conditions will continue to improve on Monday as winds calm to around 5 to 15 mph.
Temperatures in Long Island were expected to decrease in the coming days, with the possibility of rain Thursday and again over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
Mirna Alsharif reported from New York City and Maya Eaglin from Westhampton Beach.
