April 9, 2012

(Ridge, N.Y.) - The following information regarding the brush fire in Ridge is updated as of 5:30 p.m.:

Currently, firefighters from 109 departments in Suffolk County have responded to the scene of the brush fire, and 15 additional departments from Nassau County are en route.

A mandatory evacuation is being sought by the Riverhead Police Department for the area north to Grumman Avenue, east to Edwards Avenue, south to Peconic Avenue, and west to Wading River Manor. The Riverhead Senior Center in Riverhead, has been established as an emergency shelter.

It is urged that those seeking information on the brush fire do not call 9-1-1, but only use that number for emergencies. Further updates will be posted here at http://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/, or on Twitter @SuffExecBellone.

Additional information can be found on the Suffolk County Fire Rescue and Emergency Services website.

Fire on Long Island is worst since 1995 wildfires, county executive Steve Bellone says

Brush fires fanned by gusty winds raged throughout the tri-state on Monday, with one blaze injuring firefighters and destroying buildings as it swept through a swath of Long Island's Suffolk County.

What started as two separate brush fires in Ridge and Manorville on Long Island merged into one large fire by evening, officials said. Wind gusts of up to 45 mph and dry conditions throughout the region helped spread the flames.

The massive fire was contained on three sides by early Tuesday, but the eastern side raged on. The National Guard is on standby, a spokeswoman for the Suffolk County Executive's office said.

Three firefighters were taken to Stony Brook University Hospital's burn center with injuries after a fire truck became caught in a brush fire in Ridge Monday. Two were released, and a third was admitted with first- and second-degree burns, officials said.

In Manorville, at least two homes and a commercial building were destroyed after being engulfed by the flames. Two others were damaged.

"This fire is as serious as it gets," Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said at a news conference. "It is not yet under control."

No residents were reported injured. A news briefing was scheduled for Tuesday morning.

Bellone said all fire departments in Suffolk County were called to action, and fire departments in neighboring Nassau County have been assisting.

The fire could burn for days, but the area in which it is burning is not densely populated by homes, said Steve Gray of the Ridge Fire Department.

"We're hoping when the winds die down, we can get a better handle on this fire," said Gray.

Colette Grosso, of Shoreham, told NBC New York that she had a clear view of the fire from her house.

"It's very scary ... we can hear the fire trucks coming from all over the place," she said.

Riverhead Police on Monday evening ordered a mandatory evacuation for part of the township, which includes the communities of Ridge and Manorville. The boundaries of the evacuated areas were from Grumman Boulevard south to the Peconic River and from Wading River Manor Road and Shultz Road east to Edwards Avenue.

The Riverhead Senior Center at 60 Shade Tree Lane was established as an emergency shelter for the area.

Patti Purcell's family were not required to leave their home in their part of Ridge, but they packed important documents and belongings into their minivan as a precaution.

"We're ready to go, and if it starts up again, we're definitely out of here," said Purcell.

The burning land on Long Island included hundreds of acres at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory. The lab spans a 5,265-acre site in the Pine Barrens region of Long Island. No lab buildings were reported damaged.

More than 200 homes were without power, officials said.

It was the most serious fire Suffolk County has experienced since the 1995 wildfires, Bellone said.

Much of the rest of the tri-state is under a fire weather warning because of the high winds and dry conditions.