Suffolk County Fire Officials Issue Alert For Saturday

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Suffolk County's Office of Emergency Management issued a Fire Alert for Saturday, reminding residents there is an elevated risk of fire spread.

The office said that the combination of gusty northwest winds and low relative humidity on Saturday will produce an elevated risk of fire spread throughout all of the county.

The state's annual burn ban is in effect until May 14.

They urged residents to use caution when handling any potential ignition sources, including machinery, cigarettes and matches.

Any fires that ignite will have the potential to spread quickly, officials said.

The advisory was reissued in villages like Patchogue.

Suffolk County Fire Coordinator Rudy Sunderman told News 12 that firefighters have responded to six brush fires in the last two days across the county.

The Hagerman Fire Department said on Facebook that it responded to a fire on Thursday afternoon, to help out the Bellport Fire Department with a brush fire in the wooded area off Brookhaven Avenue.

There was a second fire Thursday in Sound Beach, about 75 feet of woods at the end of Port Jefferson Road, News 12 reported.

Sound Beach resident Lynn Mitchell told the outlet, "There were some flames and I did see a lot of smoke. I was grateful that it wasn't a windy day because that would have been pretty bad. As you can see, there are a lot of dried bushes and trees."