Where does the East Coast get off having a massive wildfire?

Listen, I'm ok with the coast getting battered by a hurricane, but this sh-t! I blame Gov Hochul! Why? It's none of your fricken business.

‘Massive’ wildfires erupt on Long Island, sparking state of emergency and evacuations as flames threaten homes

By Gabrielle Fahmy, NY Post

Published March 8, 2025, 4:03 p.m. ET

A state of emergency was declared in the Hamptons as multiple brush fires ravaged parts of Long Island Saturday, forcing some evacuations and shutting down the major road to the wealthy enclave as panicked residents watched the frightening scenes unfold.

Four separate fires — in Center Moriches, East Moriches, Eastport and Westhampton — blanketed Long Island’s East End Saturday, as thick black smoke filled the sky, threatening homes in middle class communities and wealthy parts of the Hamptons.

Smoke was seen from County Road 51 in Manorville.

“We’re in a better place than two hours ago but not out of the woods. This is an evolving ever changing situation,” Gov. Hochul said on CNN Saturday evening, noting four Blackhawk helicopters were dumping 660 gallons of water in a bid to control the fires.

The governor raised concerns about air quality and said the state was shipping 1,000 N95 masks to the region, pointing out that the intensity of the smoke created “a lot of exposure and vulnerability.”

One resident called the situation “catastrophic.”

“It looked like a nuclear bomb – black smoke, flames probably about 100 feet high, if not more,” Lisa DiMicelli told The Post Saturday afternoon. “It’s not under control at all. It’s very scary,” she said.

DiMiceli, of Manorville, owns a pet boarding business and said Westhampton residents told her they were being evacuated and asked her to take their dogs as they fled.

Authorities would not confirm what sparked the fires, but residents claimed one blaze started after a car accident on Sunrise Highway, in which a vehicle caught fire.

“With this wind, a spark will simply ignite it,” said Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine in a late afternoon news conference in Westhampton Beach.

“The wind is driving this fire.”

Reports of a large brush fire out east on Long Island, shutting down Sunrise Highway

One firefighter was taken to hospital with second degree burns on the face, while others suffered only minor injuries, Romaine said.

Two businesses were damaged, he said.

The flames have engulfed an area 2 miles long and 2.5 miles wide, authorities said.

As of Saturday evening the fires were 50% contained, and helicopters were still circling the area, dropping water to try to quench the flames.

Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency, and said the National Guard helicopters were providing support to Suffolk County, while multiple state agencies were on the ground.

“We are in close communication with local partners on Long Island to coordinate assistance and make sure they have the resources they need to protect their communities,” Gov. Hochul posted on X.

A massive cluster of wildfires are scorching the Pine Barrens along the south side of Sunrise Highway

Romaine said 90 agencies, including more than 40 different fire departments, were on hand.

Residents as far as Fairfield, Connecticut, across the water told The Post they could see the flames.

“Everyone was trying to figure out what it was we were convinced it was a boat on fire or something,” one resident who saw the smoke while walking their dog said.

Hochul vowed to coordinate assistance to Long Island.

Flames and black smoke billowed over County Road 51 in Manorville, where the fire crossed the highway shortly before 2 p.m. Additional fires were reported in the Pine Barrens and near Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton, shutting Sunrise Highway in both directions at Exit 58, authorities said. That’s the major access road toward the more exclusive parts of the Hamptons to the east.

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico posted video from a helicopter showing the scope of the blazes and the resulting smoke.

“Video from above of the massive wildfire in the pine barrens. Thank you to all of the firefighters and first responders fighting this blaze,” Panico wrote on Facebook.

For many residents the fire brought bad memories of another nightmare that happened three decades ago in the same area. The Sunrise Fire of 1995 scorched 4,500 acres of pine barrens and damaged about a dozen homes before it was put out by firefighters from across the state.