A person trying to make the campfire snack s’mores in their backyard accidentally sparked the devastating wildfires on New York’s Long Island.
At around 9:30 a.m. Saturday, an unnamed person in Manorville, New York, was trying to light a fire to make the snack of graham crackers, chocolate and toasted marshmallows.
“The individual making s’mores was unable to get the fire lit due to the winds, but they used cardboard to initially light that fire. The person subsequently discovers that the fire does ignite in the backyard area and all goes up in fire,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said at a press conference.
From there, the fire spread across the backyard and was extinguished by 10:30 a.m. By 1 p.m., multiple secondary fires broke out after embers from the first blaze and the succeeding fires were blown southwards, Commissioner Catalina said.
The fires were 100% knocked down by Sunday, meaning there was no longer any fire visible. By Monday, most of the fires were fully contained when fire breaks had been established to prevent the fire from spreading.
The fires burned about 420 acres in the Westhampton area and around 600 acres in total, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
In Eastport, New York, where 33 acres were burned, containment work continued Monday.
“There are small areas that are smoldering, but once we get that break, or the containment area around, once that area is up, it won’t extend out,” Eastport Fire Chief John Dalen told WCBS-TV.
There were two injuries to firefighters. One incurred a second-degree burn to his face while another suffered a head injury, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said.
The fire also damaged one commercial building and destroyed another.
Residents of Long Island and portions of the Hudson Valley were put under a burning ban by Gov. Kathy Hochul. The area-specific burn ban will continue until Sunday, when an annual statewide ban on burning brush in residential areas goes into effect.
