N.Y. Governor Declares State of Emergency for Series of Brush Fires on Long Island

Mar. 15, 2025

A state of emergency has been declared for Long Island, N.Y., after several brush fires affected the area this weekend.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul made the announcement on Saturday, March 8, after the fires blazed through the area as a result of strong winds.

“I am issuing a State of Emergency as Suffolk County fights brush fires in the Pine Barrens. I have spoken to @ExecEdRomaine and offered any necessary State resources,” Hochul, 66,wrote on X. “We have @NationalGuardNY helicopters providing air support, and multiple state agencies are on the ground.”

The New York Air National Guard shows smoke from the fires in the Pine Barrens off Sunrise Highway in New York’s Long Island on March 8 Long Island, on Saturday, March 8,.Cheran Campbell/New York Air National Guard via AP

Cheran Campbell/New York Air National Guard via AP

A first fire started at around 1:00 p.m. local time in Center Moriches in Suffolk County, before spreading and growing in East Moriches, Eastport and Westhampton, per local outletNews 12.

A rescue helicopter picks up water at Wild Wood Lake in Westhampton, New York, on March 8.Andrew Theodorakis/Getty

Andrew Theodorakis/Getty

Suffolk Executive Ed Romaine said in anews conferenceon March 8 that the fires at their largest were “two and a half miles long and two and a half miles wide." He added that almost 80 fire departments and 20 EMS agencies responded to the fires.

The National Guard dropped water over the areas where the fires spread, but the high winds made the process difficult, News 12 reported.

Firefighters assemble around rescue units while putting out fires in Westhampton on March 8.Andrew Theodorakis/Gett

Andrew Theodorakis/Gett

Hochul said in an interview withNews 12that the winds were “creating havoc” in the affected communities of Long Island and that evacuation was necessary.

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The fires reportedly spread near Francis S Gabreski Airport, three miles north of central Westhampton Beach, and an evacuation was issued there as a “precautionary measure," New York Air National Guard spokesperson Cheran Campbell said in a statement, perThe Guardian.

Several local highways were shut down due to fires, though some have reopened since the majority of the fire was contained, News 12 reported.

PEOPLE has reached out to Suffolk County Fire Rescue and Emergency Services for comment.

source: people.com