Fast Response Succeeds in Bringing Fast-Moving Westhampton Pines Fire Under Control

A series of small brush fires that hopscotched their way from Manorville east culminated in an explosive wildfire near Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton on Saturday afternoon.

The fast-moving blaze sent plumes of smoke rising hundreds of feet into the air that were visible from as far away as Connecticut and gave rise to fears that it would rival the 1995 wildfires that burned for days and caused massive damage in the area.

But an immediate and massive response led by an estimated 600 volunteers from 80 Long Island fire departments, augmented by another 10 ambulance companies, held the fire at bay, limiting its damage to about 420 acres to the west and north of the airport.

One business on County Road 31 was destroyed, and another suffered major damage. The office of East End Hospice was largely spared, although it, too, suffered damage to a storage structure. No residences were affected.

Two firefighters were injured fighting the fire, with one being airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of second-degree burns on his face, and another taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center for treatment of a head injury.

A second fire scorched about 33 acres in Eastport.

The Westhampton Beach Fire Department announced that what officials are calling the Westhampton Pines Fire had been completely extinguished by 6 p.m. on Monday. However, Rudy Sunderman, the commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services, said at a Monday morning press briefing that he expected crews to continue to monitor the smaller Eastport fire for hot spots for several days.

Arson Discounted

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said on Saturday night that officials had reason to believe someone may have intentionally started what turned out to be four separate fires, and that the Suffolk County Police arson squad had been called in to investigate.

But on Monday, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina was pointing to a far more innocent cause: Residents of a home on North Cozine Road in Manorville had apparently been trying to make s’mores in their backyard that morning at about 9:30, he said at a press briefing. He said they used cardboard to try to start a fire, eventually giving up and going back inside — only to discover a short time later that the fire had, in fact, ignited and was burning out of control in their backyard.

He said the Center Moriches Fire Department extinguished that fire by 10:30 a.m., but police believed embers had been carried by strong wind gusts south and east, starting fires off both Chapman Boulevard in East Moriches and Speonk-Riverhead Road in Eastport, before winds carried embers east to Westhampton.

“That is the operating theory,” he said. “It makes perfect sense.” But he added that detectives were continuing their investigation and would interview each and every one of the many 911 callers.

Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore on Tuesday stressed that the County Police findings were not final. “The town is still conducting investigations and has not arrived at any conclusion at this time,” she said. “There is a lot of information and analysis to be considered, and other theories that must be conclusively ruled out, before a solid and final determination can be arrived at.”

Flood of 911 Calls

Saturday was clear and chilly with strong wind gusts of up to 45 mph out of the northwest. Shortly after 1 p.m., 911 calls reporting multiple fires along Sunrise Highway in Westhampton began to flood Southampton Town emergency services dispatchers.

A police spokesman described the scene as “dynamic” at approximately 1:30 p.m., saying dispatchers were handling numerous calls, with fires and smoke reported from Exit 60 to Exit 64 on Sunrise Highway. “There was a black plume about 400 feet in the air near Westhampton,” a witness said.

Chief Larry Saccente of the Westhampton Beach Fire Department responded at 1:05 p.m. to a report of a large brush fire on the south side of Sunrise Highway between Exit 62 and Exit 63.

He notified the Suffolk County Office of Emergency Management, which activated the county’s fire mutual aid plan. Soon, pumpers, tankers and brush trucks from 80 departments across the county were racing to the scene. They were joined by 10 EMS units.

Nassau County sent 11 crews that were stationed at the Suffolk County Fire Academy in Yaphank on standby in case additional help was needed.

According to Governor Kathy Hochul’s office, four National Guard helicopters joined in the effort, making 88 passes and dropping more than 24,000 gallons of water on the fire. State Department of Environmental Conservation personnel were also at the scene to help contain the blaze.

Police closed down the highway, County Road 31 and Speonk-Riverhead Road to traffic for most of the day.

Firefighters were unable to prevent the blaze from jumping to the east side of County Road 31, but they were able to protect buildings and planes at the airport. According to a press release issued by the Westhampton Beach Fire Department, firefighters protected several storage buildings, including one that has been used to store fireworks, from damage. The release noted that firefighters did not know if any explosives were in the building at the time.

No Mandatory Evacuations

Although the 106th Rescue Wing of the Air National Guard, which is stationed at Gabreski, announced that it was evacuating its personnel from the base, there were no mandatory evacuations of homes, although some residents did evacuate on their own, and Town Police said they were ready to assist if necessary.

“There are no residences that are in the line of fire,” Southampton Town Police Chief James Kiernan said on Saturday evening. “We are monitoring that very closely from the air. You will know by telephone, you will know by knocks on the door if that changes.”

Some who left their homes may have experienced difficulty returning, as major roads remained closed to traffic into the night.

“By late Saturday evening, all visible flames were extinguished and most of the departments were released,” the Westhampton Beach department release stated. “Westhampton Beach chiefs and the Suffolk County OEM officials remained at a command post at Gabreski Airport overnight, where they responded to a number of flareups.”

“By the time the sun went down, they had been successful in putting a decent stop to the fire, which allowed them to take a breath,” said Ryan Murphy, Southampton Town’s emergency management administrator.

He said firefighting crews were counting their blessings that the wind didn’t carry the fire north of the highway. “Thank goodness, it didn’t materialize into anything worse,” he said. “There’s a lot of room on the north side for that to spread and go on unimpeded. We really got lucky.”

He noted that besides acres and acres of pine trees, the area north of the highway is full of dead trees killed by the southern pine beetle.

Mop-Up Operations

There was some confusion late Saturday, with some officials saying the fire had been 80 percent contained.

Speaking at a press conference at the airport on Sunday afternoon, Sunderman said the fire had actually been 80 percent knocked down and only about 20 percent contained.

“‘Knocked down’ refers to all visible fire. You don’t see any visible fire as we speak,” he said. “‘Containment’ refers to the creation of a fire break around the perimeter.”

A team of DEC forest rangers and heavy equipment from the state, county and town highway departments were deployed to clear a firebreak around the burned area and look for hot spots.

That work continued through Sunday, with drones monitoring for flareups.

Shortly after the fire started, the town issued a warning, requesting that residents refrain from lighting fires outdoors because of the dry and windy conditions. Later in the day, that notice was upgraded to a full state of emergency declaration by which Moore directed all town departments to take whatever steps are necessary to protect life, property and public infrastructure. That measure remained in effect as of Tuesday afternoon.

Hochul also issued a state of emergency and pledged continued help to the town as needed. At a Monday press briefing, Amanda Lefton, the DEC commissioner, said a seasonal ban on burning, which was supposed to go into effect on Sunday, March 16, had instead been put in place immediately.

Shout-Outs to Volunteers

Officials from the local to federal levels were effusive in their praise for the volunteers who provided aid.

“We are fortunate to have veteran firefighters among us who fought the 1995 fires. Their experience, training, and dedication are invaluable in this fight, and we stand in full support of their efforts,” Moore said on Saturday evening. “I want to express my deepest gratitude to all firefighters, emergency responders, and volunteers who are working tirelessly to bring this fire under control.”

U.S. Representative Nick LaLota visited the fire scene over the weekend. “The nation’s looking at us. The nation saw some of these flames on TV,” he said. “I got calls and texts from colleagues, from Indiana, California and elsewhere, who, regardless of party, were concerned.”

On Monday, he issued a press release calling for a bipartisan effort to prevent future fires and combat the devastation caused by the southern pine beetle.

“Our first responders showed incredible bravery battling the recent brush fires in Brookhaven and Southampton,” he said. “Now every level of government must meet that courage with action.”

Romaine also made it a point to extend his thanks to the neighboring jurisdictions that answered the alarm at each press briefing he held over the weekend.

Speaking at the final press briefing on Monday morning, he said, “I can’t tell you what a humbling experience it is when people are in need of help, when the fires are burning and you see one fire truck after another pull up and people from all over this county rushing into danger to stop this fire.”

With reporting by Brendan J. O’Reilly