“I am issuing a State of Emergency as Suffolk County fights brush fires in the Pine Barrens. I have spoken to @ExecEdRomaine and offered any necessary State resources. We have @NationalGuardNY helicopters providing air support, and multiple state agencies are on the ground,” Hochul posted on X Saturday evening.
"This is still out of control at this moment. The winds are just wreaking havoc," Hochul told News 12 out of Long Island. The governor confirmed that "one or two homes" have already been destroyed in the fire "with others that are in the way." According to Suffolk County executive Ed Romaine, over 70 fire departments are now battling the fires.