Shelter Island F.D. and EMS respond to South Fork fires: Headed to Westhampton for a stand-by role
The call to respond came around 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 8. A wildfire was raging through parts of the South Fork.
Shelter Island Fire Chief Dan Rasmussen got organized, alerting eight firefighters, getting an engine and a chief’s car ready, and heading for South Ferry.
Chief Rasmussen said that on the crossing to North Haven, towers of smoke were rising before them, driven by a steady wind of 30 to 35 mph, and gusting higher.
The Island firefighters were put on standby on the Old Riverhead Road in Westhampton Beach.
The Shelter Island Emergency Medical Services were on the scene as well, staying until they were dismissed at 8:30 p.m Saturday from the Westhampton Beach location.
Chief of Shelter Island Ambulance Mark Kanarvogel and EMT Cathy Rasmussen were ready to serve. “We were assigned a place in a line of ambulances by the command post and given Melcom radios to be ready for any and all emergencies,” Chief Kanarvogel said. “Luckily there were only two transports. We were told we may need to come back in case the fire got out of control. They were telling us that it might be a 48-hour incident, so I was lining up more providers to relive us.”
“It was pretty bad,” Chief Rasmussen said, describing the flames tearing through bone-dry woods and smoke rushing skyward. The Island team wasn’t called on, but stood by for support, the chief said.
Sunrise Highway from William Floyd Parkway east to Exit 62 in Westhampton was closed to traffic on Saturday afternoon. More than 600 firefighters from multiple companies across Long Island fought the fires and eventually extinguished them by Saturday evening.
Two firefighters were injured, and by Sunday both had been released from the hospital. The emergency was mostly under control by Sunday. Four hundred acres of woods were incinerated and two businesses damaged. The blazes went from Center Moriches to close to Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach.
The billowing smoke was visible from as far away as the Connecticut shore on Saturday afternoon.
In a recent analysis for the Reporter on the threat of wildfires breaking out on the Island, John Cronin wrote, “Shelter Island’s land mass is approximately 7,800 acres, with nearly one-third of its area designated as preserved land, including the Mashomack Preserve managed by The Nature Conservancy. The Island’s ecology is characterized by a mix of coastal habitats, dense woodlands, and wetlands, which provide a haven for a diverse array of flora and fauna.
“While this rich ecological tapestry contributes to the Island’s natural charm, it also presents a wildfire hazard, particularly during drought or extreme weather conditions … The diverse vegetation on Shelter Island includes hardwood forests and shrublands, each with varying degrees of flammability. Hardwood trees, which dominate the landscape, are less prone to ignition compared to conifers, which contain highly flammable resinous sap. The underbrush and accumulated leaf and other organic litter on private property and preserved lands can function as kindling, especially during dry spells.”
At a recent meeting of the Town’s Water Advisory Committee, Chairman Peter Grand said it’s important to keep an eye on precipitation amounts. The amount of precipitation is significant in recharging the Island’s fragile aquifer, but there’s another significant concern that claimed the attention of the committee — fires.
In addition to the levels of assessment that are currently used to advise the Town Board of drought conditions to be considered before implementing restrictions, the levels of fire concerns should also be considered, the committee decided.
