Weather & Science

Long Island Brush Fires Prompt Emergency Declaration

Smoke from the fires in the Pine Barrens off Sunrise Highway in New York’s Long Island, on March 8.Photographer: Cheran Campbell/New York Air National Guard/AP Photo

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By María Paula Mijares Torres

March 8, 2025 at 11:44 PM UTC

Updated on

March 9, 2025 at 1:53 AM UTC

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Multiple brush fires burned in Long Island State Pine Barrens Reserve, a wooded area near bedroom communities outside New York City, prompting Governor Kathy Hochul to declare a state of emergency.

The fires in the 105,000-acre preserve in Suffolk County, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) from New York City, started earlier Saturday. Hochul said she deployed the New York National Guard to provide air support by helicopter, working with local authorities.