Authorities say a series of brush fires that tore through the East End of Long Island over the weekend can now be traced back to one local backyard, where a family's attempt to make Saturday morning s'mores apparently went awry. At a Monday presser, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said that at least four individual fires had been reported, but that investigators believe they all emerged from the same incident at a home in Manorville, per the Washington Post.
"The individual who's making the s'mores is unable to get the fire lit due to the winds, but they used cardboard to initially light that fire," Catalina said. "That person subsequently discovers that the fire does ignite, and the backyard area all goes up in fire." Catalina noted that the first fire was put out around 10:30am ET, but just a few hours later, more reports of other fires started coming in.
"It is believed that the embers from each fire traveled and continuously started more fires," Catalina noted at the news conference, adding that "all of those fires are in a direct line with the strong northwest wind that was blowing that day." The so-called Westhampton Pine Fire, which Catalina said at this point is being considered an accident, ended up torching at least 600 acres over the weekend before the 80 or so local fire departments that rushed to the scene were able to get it under control, per NBC New York.
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Two firefighters suffered injuries while taking on the blazes, but they're said to now be in good condition after being hospitalized. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, meanwhile, has declared a state of emergency as Long Island continues to grapple with extra-dry conditions. The governor has put out a burn ban for the island, New York City, and parts of the Hudson Valley that prohibits uncontained campfires or open fires for cooking; small contained fires and backyard firepits are still permitted. (More Long Island stories.)
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