Port Jeff Volunteers Fight Brush Fires

The Port Jefferson Fire Department is among the 109 fire departments called in by Suffolk County Steve Bellone to help fight massive brush fires raging in and around Ridge. According to the PJFD, a seven-man crew from Engine 5 headed out to battle the blaze, leaving other emergency personnel available to respond to any emergencies in Port Jefferson.

Bellone warned locals that as darkness has fallen, the dangers surround the raging brush fires in Ridge have grown – and it could be days before the fires are extinguished.

"This a rapidly shifting situation," Bellone said at a press conference Monday night, urging people to stay as far away from the scene as possible to let firefighters do their work. "This fire could go on for some time."

Three firefighters have been injured and treated at the Stony Brook University Burn center; one has been admitted with 2nd and 3rd degree burns.

No fatalities have been reported.

The 106th Air National Guard is on standby and ready to assist, as are state police. The goal, Bellone, is to make sure no firefighter is put in danger by an aerial water drop.

According to a release issued by the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, the fire broke out at the Laboratory in the northern portion of the site, east of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collidor complex. Officials said the laboratory's sewage treatment plant was evacuated as a precaution. The cause of the fire is unknown.

Two Manorville residences and one commercial building have been destroyed, and two additional homes are still on fire. The situation Bellone said is "as serious as it gets," the most serious brush fires since 1995.

Currently, 236 homes are without power and the county is coordinating with the Long Island Power Authority and National Grid.

The Primrose Path area of Manorville has also been evacuated.

Fires are still not contained and are moving in a southeasterly direction. It is not yet clear how the fires started.

A Manorville fire truck was destroyed in the blaze.

Bellone asked that residents do not call 911 unless it is an emergency as phone systems are overloaded.