Hundreds Flee Huge Fire on Long Island

A large brush fire ripped through the Westhampton pine barrens on Long Island’s east end and sent panic through Westhampton Beach on Thursday, as an advancing wall of flames 50 feet high scorched its way across highways, railroad tracks and an airport. The fire forced the evacuation of hundreds of people and brought in firefighting help from as far away as Montana and Kentucky.

President Clinton promised help Thursday night from federal agencies, and New York Gov. George Pataki declared a state of emergency that cleared the way for federal aid for firefighting efforts and disaster relief going back to Monday, when a brush fire swept through the pine barrens of Rocky Point, about 30 miles northwest.

That fire and others continued to flare up Thursday, as the unpredictable Westhampton blaze roared in one direction and then another, consuming several thousand acres of brush and sending up a huge black ball of smoke visible for miles.

“The fire is out of control,” Suffolk County Executive Robert Gaffney said at a news conference Thursday night at the county command center at the scene. “So I guess it could be said with some accuracy that you’re at the mercy of any fire that’s out of control.

“We can steer it a little bit; we can prevent it from doing damage in certain areas,” he said. “We can’t put it out.”

Meanwhile, as firefighters made a stand, the side streets of Westhampton Beach were jammed with people fleeing. Cars were loaded with clothes, animals in cages and even furniture. The stink of smoke was heavy in the village, and the orange of the fire was visible in the sky.

Seven to 10 houses were damaged by the flames and one firefighter suffered a heart attack. “We’ve got massive problems,” said Suffolk County Deputy Executive John Gallagher.