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A brush fire broke out on Saturday afternoon along Sunrise Highway in East Quogue. JAMES SANDNES
A brush fire broke out on Saturday afternoon along Sunrise Highway in East Quogue. JAMES SANDNES
Multiple agencies responded to an East Quogue brush fire along the westbound lane of Sunrise Highway yesterday afternoon, quickly stopping what could have turned into a much larger blaze.
“The wind, the way that it was blowing, I was very concerned,” East Quogue Fire Department Chief Keith Phillips said. “I started resourcing out immediately just so we could make sure we could nip this in the bud.”
To assist the East Quogue Fire Department, members from the Hampton Bays, Quogue and Eastport fire departments helped extinguish three separate fires — the largest about 2,500 square yards, Phillips said. The Southampton Town and New York State Police Departments also responded to the scene.
“We were able to extinguish the large bodies of the fire and put a stop to it before it got out of control,” he said. “My concern was the wind that was blowing from the south/southwest that was pushing the fire toward the main Pine Barrens area. So with the men and women of the East Quogue Fire Department and our neighboring agencies, we were able to stop that from spreading and contained the fire with a successful result.”
The Southampton Town Police drone unit surveilled the area afterward and confirmed that there was no expansion of the fire, which erupted between exits 64 and 65, Phillips said. It is unclear what sparked the blaze, he said.
Staff Writer on Dec 14, 2025