(Westhampton, NY) – A wildfire that broke out on Long Island’s East End has been fully contained. The flames peaked on Saturday, causing closures of Sunrise Highway as the blaze moved from Center Moriches to Westhampton. At least two first responders were injured but they have since been released from the hospital. Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency, sending down the National Guard and 100,000 N-95 masks.
The high winds helped fan the flames making fighting the fires a bit more difficult. Now authorities are beginning their investigation into what caused the fire. Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine is not ruling out that this could have been an act of arson. Republican Congressman Nick LaLota says that he will work to get federal disaster relief funding. Two commercial buildings were damaged, however residential structures went unharmed.
