Towns and communities in Long Island, New York, were on alert Saturday after brush fires spewed thick smoke into the air.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency in Suffolk County as the fires raged on — with gusty conditions expected to last through Sunday evening.
The first fire started at about 1 p.m. and three others erupted throughout the day, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine told reporters during a news conference Saturday afternoon. At that point, the fires were two miles long and two and a half miles wide, according to officials.
Hochul said the New York National Guard deployed multiple Black Hawk helicopters equipped with 660-gallon buckets of water to dump on the flames. Other state resources were also mobilized, according to the governor’s office. Overall, more than 30 fire companies worked to battle the blaze…