Authorities investigate possibility of arson as origin of Long Island fires while increased winds ramp up fire risk

A still from a video shows a giant cloud of smoke as it billows in Suffolk County, New York, on Saturday. Steven Rocco via CNN Newsource

Arson could be the cause of several wind-driven brush fires that burned on New York’s Long Island over the weekend, injuring two firefighters and sending large smoke plumes into the air, officials said.

Winds Sunday afternoon are expected to increase again, elevating the fire risk across portions of the region.

It’s too early for investigators to tell if the fire started naturally or by “some nefarious origin,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina told reporters Sunday.

Over two dozen detectives are investigating how the fires started, interviewing people who called 911 and using drones to get an aerial view of the burn area.

“We also have arson detectives going up in the helicopters, also trying to figure out how this all started,” Catalina said. “We’re going to get to the bottom of what happened.”

The investigation begins as sustained winds on Long Island are expected to be between 10-20 mph and gust to around 30-35 mph Sunday. They will decrease once again late Sunday night.

Suffolk County executive Ed Romaine said he received numerous calls from officials looking to help him battle the multiple brush fires that erupted.

“Got a call from the White House, got a call from the governor, from Sen. Schumer, from my neighboring county, Nassau County, and from Mayor Adams in New York City … I’ve got to tell you, impressive,” Romaine told CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield on Sunday.

Fire crews in Suffolk County contended with strong winds as they responded to at least four separate brush fires that began Saturday afternoon and quickly spread, Suffolk County Fire Coordinator Rudy Sunderman said Sunday.

No residents were in the fire’s direct path, but two firefighters were injured and at least two structures burned, according to Sunderman.

One of the firefighters suffered second-degree burns to the face, according to Romaine. Both firefighters have been treated at local hospitals and released, Sunderman said.

Crews battled the fires overnight. By morning, the remaining fire in Westhampton, Long Island, was nearly a quarter contained with no visible flames remaining, according to Sunderman.

“The fire has not grown in size since 6 a.m.,” Westhampton Beach Fire Department second assistant Chief Lewis Scott said. “We are prepared to respond back. The weather is still a very significant concern and threat to us.”

“We’re concerned because the winds are still blowing, that might spark up again,” Romaine said.

Governor declares state of emergency, issues burn ban

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Saturday, telling CNN’s Jessica Dean, “This could be a multi-day event.”

The fires are burning in a nature preserve, but “it would not take much for the fires to jump outside that area and head toward populated areas,” Hochul said, noting the community of Riverhead is 3 miles away.

“All those images of what happened in the Palisades are so front and center in our minds,” the governor said, recalling the deadly wildfires that devastated California this year. “We need to be proactive, preventative and try to stop the worst from occurring with all the power that we have and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

“Our biggest problem is this wind…it’s driving this fire,” Romaine said at a Saturday news conference, pulling off his hat so it wouldn’t blow away.

The fires burned a structure near the Francis S. Gabreski Airport, where personnel were evacuated as a precautionary measure starting Saturday around 1:45 p.m., a spokesman told The Associated Press in a statement.

“We are prepared for this, and we have 80 agencies and firefighting crews and agents and individuals all over working to put up a wet line, as you say, because that wet line is what our best defense against this spreading now,” Hochul said while noting the impact the fires can have on air quality.

Hochul told CNN she’s relying on state funds to respond to the brush fires and “not counting on the federal government” amid spending cuts.

The governor said crews have been deployed from multiple state agencies, including transportation and fire prevention departments, to help with Suffolk County’s response to the brush fires.

On Sunday, the governor issued a burn ban “across Long Island, New York City, and parts of the Hudson Valley” to protect the areas. Those who violate the ban could face a fine of $500 for a first offense, a release from Hochul’s office said.

At least 50 deputy sheriffs are also on the ground providing protection from the brush fires in Suffolk County, Sheriff Errol D. Toulon said Saturday.

The fires evoked memories of the 1995 Sunrise Fire that burned through more than 5,000 acres of the Pine Barrens nature preserve and forced hundreds from their homes, according to the Long Island Pine Barrens Society.

“We are in this together and that’s why this is not going to become the fire of ’95 because the people that stand behind me, but also the people right now who are bravely battling this blaze,” Brookhaven town supervisor Dan Panico said during a news conference.

Entire neighborhoods engulfed in smoke

Around 1 p.m. Saturday, Suffolk County resident Lauren Stiles said her family began to smell smoke inside their home. Looking out the window, they then realized their entire neighborhood had been engulfed in smoke.

They couldn’t figure out where the smoke was coming from, so they decided to drive around to investigate. To get a better view, Stiles’ family headed north on County Route 51 and stopped at a sod farm in Eastport.

That’s when they realized their neighborhood wasn’t the only one enveloped by smoke.“As I was shooting video, I didn’t realize I captured at least three separate smoke plumes because I only noticed two when filming,” Stiles told CNN.

Stiles expressed her gratitude for volunteer firefighters, who run nearly all the 179 fire departments on the island, according to the governor.

“We are very grateful to Long Island’s volunteer firefighters who keep our communities safe,” Stiles said.