Quick-moving brush fires burned through a large swath of land on New York’s Long Island on Saturday, fanned by high winds that spewed thick grey smoke into the sky and prompted the evacuation of a military base and the closure of a major highway.
Kathy Hochul, the state governor, declared a state of emergency and said state agencies were responding to the fires around the Pine Barrens, a wooded area that is home to commuter towns east of New York City.
“This is still out of control at this moment,” Hochul told local TV station News 12. “We’re seeing people having to be evacuated from the Westhampton area,” she said, adding that more evacuations may be needed.
Hochul said homes, a chemical factory and an Amazon warehouse were at risk.
Videos posted to social media showed flames shooting into the air and columns of black smoke rising above roads.
Much of the US faced another round of biting winter weather on Sunday, with torrential rains...
