Wildfires

An air quality health advisory is in effect Thursday for Long Island and the Metro NY Region for fine particles from a massive wildfire that has burned thousands of acres in the New Jersey Pine Barrens since it erupted Tuesday.

Firefighting operation spanned more than 10 hours, required the assistance of 18 area fire departments, a helicopter, drones, two bulldozers and a Gator ATV, in addition to fire department brush trucks, engines and tanker trucks — needed to bring water to the remote woodlands to douse the flames.

An air quality health advisory remains in effect for the local area until midnight today. The pollutant of concern is fine particulates. Air quality may be worse across the East End than in western Suffolk, the National Weather Service said.

Smoke and haze continue to blanket the region as wildfires in eastern Canada continue to burn and prevailing weather conditions push the smoke south over the eastern United States causing unhealthy air quality across Long Island and the New York City metro region.

Smoke from the Canadian wildfires is spreading over the region, causing air quality to deteriorate to unhealthy levels. The governor urges New Yorkers to stay indoors if possible.

The National Weather Service is warning the public that conditions in the New York metro region, including Long Island, will be conducive to fire spread later today and potentially throughout the week.

The National Weather Service in Upton issued the red flag warning because a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and dry fuels will create a significantly elevated fire growth potential.

Smoke and haze from 83 large wildfires in the the western U.S. are moving across New York State, prompting health officials to issue an air quality health advisory for fine particulate matter today. It is in effect through midnight.

The fires burned 167 acres of Pine Barrens in Brookhaven and Riverhead towns over the past month, according to the State DEC.

Several area fire departments battled a brush fire in Manorville and Ridge this afternoon.