Wildfire

The air quality health advisory put in effect on Wednesday for New York State has been extended through midnight tomorrow, the state Department of Environmental Conservation announced this afternoon.

An air quality health advisory is in effect in all regions of New York State through 11:59 p.m. Thursday due to smoke from wildfires burning in Canada.

Today marks the 10th anniversary of a wildfire that burned more than 1,100 acres of Pine Barrens in Manorville, Ridge and Calverton. The fire, later ruled to have been intentionally set, burned for more than 24 hours.

Weather conditions today will be ideal for fire combustion and rapid fire spread, according to the National Weather Service.

Fire chiefs angry with government land stewards over condition of preserved land. Video shows struggles of volunteer firefighters battling a wildfire in Flanders Saturday, where dead, downed trees on the county-owned preserve damaged three brush trucks, one of which had to be towed out of the woods.

Firefighters were able to contain a wildfire in the Flanders pine barrens this afternoon, despite strong, gusty winds and downed dead trees on the forest floor. EXCLUSIVE VIDEO FROM THE SCENE.

Hundreds of homes are tucked into 11,000 acres of preserved pine barrens in the Flanders Fire District, where a lack of maintenance by the government entities that own the woodlands has created a dangerous situation, according to Flanders Fire Chief Joe Petit.