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One firefighter was airlifted to Stony Brook hospital with second-degree burns from battling the eastern Long Island wildfires, authorities said.
But he “is doing OK.”
As of Saturday evening, firefighters from across Long Island were concentrating in areas around and north of Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach. The fires were “50 percent contained,” officials said.
But, they stressed, they are not under control.
“There are no residences at this time that are in the line of fire, but we are monitoring that very closely from the air. You will be notified by telephone, by knocks on your door, if that changes,” Southampton Town Police Chief James Kiernan told press assembled Saturday evening in Westhampton Beach.
“We’re in great hands right now; we have all our partners together working this.”
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said the fires might not be under control for several hours, if not tomorrow.
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Two commercial structures were also damaged by the fires, which broke out around Center Moriches and East Moriches around 1 p.m., prompting closures along Sunrise Highway. Authorities did not provide details about those structures.
It was not immediately clear on which fire department the injured firefighter hailed from.
The fire has drawn help from departments across Nassau and Suffolk counties, along with the National Guard.
Helicopters were filling giant buckets of water in nearby lakes, including Wildwood Lake in Northampton, and dumping it on fires. Greater Long Island photographer and videographer Andrew Theodorakis captured video footage of the helicopters in action. See below. Featured photo by Andrew Theodorakis.
Greater Long Island photographer and videographer Andrew Theodorakis captured a video of helicopter battling the wildfire blazed on Long Island's South Shore on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/Vx09lk65Ll
— Greater Long Island 📰 (@Greater_LI) March 8, 2025
