Update, Saturday, July 23, 7:10 p.m.: A partial rekindling of the brushfire on Saturday afternoon drew about 60 firefighters back to the scene for about four-and-a-half hours on Saturday, according to Montauk Fire Chief Scott Snow. This time, the Springs Fire Department joined Montauk, Amagansett, East Hampton, Bridgehampton, and Sag Harbor Fire Departments in containing the fire.
"We wanted to make sure we soaked it down," Chief Snow said.
Two New York State Parks Police officers will be stationed overnight to make sure it doesn't start up yet again, the chief said.
Update, Saturday, July 23, 1:30 p.m.: East Hampton emergency dispatch confirmed on Saturday at 1:25 p.m. that the brushfire by the Walking Dunes and Goff Point had reignited. Firefighters were en route to the scene.
Update, Saturday, July 23, 10:30 a.m.: A difficult-to-reach brushfire in state parkland between the Walking Dunes and Goff Point at the western edge of Hither Woods burned 20 to 25 acres of grassland Friday night, according to Montauk Fire Chief Scott Snow.
The fire was first reported shortly after 7 p.m. by a good Samaritan. The first firefighters were in the vicinity not long after, but the fire was in a remote location not accessible by road. Beach access along Napeague Harbor and the outer beach on Block Island Sound was "limited because the tide was coming up and we were losing the beach," Chief Snow said Saturday morning. "We had one truck make it out there and then the state parks department had an A.T.V. to transport people."
The Amagansett, East Hampton, Bridgehampton, and Sag Harbor Fire Departments aided in the effort to bring the fire under control, but its location presented many challenges.
In trying to reach the fire, one brush truck became bogged down in marshy terrain and another got stuck in the sand traversing the dunes in the dark. Larger trucks "all got hung up somehow," Chief Snow said, "but everybody helped and got one another out." Firemen attempted to reach the scene from the south, through Hither Woods, but were unsuccessful. All of the firefighters who reached the scene made it there from the beach.
"The terrain was tough, it was night," Chief Snow said. Firefighters were called on to use their personal four-wheel-drive vehicles to transport personnel and supplies to the scene. They arrived bit by bit in smaller vehicles, and attacked the flames with backpack water cans.
Some 60 to 70 firefighters aided in the effort.
As darkness fell, a Suffolk County Police Department helicopter was called in to illuminate the area so firefighters could find paths to the flames and locate remaining hotspots. East Hampton Town Police Department employed drones to find additional hotspots as the night wore on.
Throughout the night "it was hard to get to get a grip on what we were watching," Chief Snow said.
The Hither Hills west overlook and the end of Napeague Harbor Road were staging areas for emergency personnel.
At one point, as they made their way north of the Long Island Rail Road tracks that bisect Hither Woods, an eastbound Long Island Rail Road train headed to Montauk was stopped between Napeague Meadow and Napeague Harbor Road. It returned to Amagansett. This was a precaution taken because brush trucks and men were crossing back and forth over the tracks.
By 11:30 all personnel and vehicles were back on pavement and regular train service could resume. Montauk Highway remained open throughout.
Firefighters train for this sort of event -- in the earlier days of the pandemic they took a brush fire course at the Suffolk County Fire Academy in Yaphank, the chief said -- but the on-the-ground experience was a reminder of the specific challenges of brushfires
"The biggest thing, with this drought we're in, is to be careful with fire and what you're doing outdoors," Chief Snow said. He did not speculate as to the cause of the fire.
Friday, July 22, 10:38 p.m.: While firefighters seem to have made headway in bringing the fire under control in some areas, according to radio communications, they continued to search for hotspots with the aid of Police Department drones as the Suffolk County helicopter refueled. The terrain and the fire's distance from the road presented challenges for both firefighters on foot and those in vehicles.
At least four other departments were working with Montauk to contain and extinguish the fire.
Friday, July 22, 9:43 p.m.: The Montauk Fire Department has called in neighboring departments to help battle a difficult-to-reach brush fire in the vicinity of Napeague Harbor and Hither Woods, north of Montauk Highway.
The fire was reported by a good Samaritan, according to an East Hampton emergency dispatcher.
Firefighters were on the scene, but one department truck that was sent in to the area became bogged down in marshy terraine and stuck. Another brush truck became stuck in the dunes. Because of the challenging conditions, firefighters were also asked to take their personal four-wheel-drive vehicles to aid in the effort. Some vehicles were making their way to the fire from the bay beach, while others were approaching on unpaved roads through Hither Woods.
A Suffolk County Police Department helicopter was helping to light the way as trucks made their way through the dunes, and to illuminate hotspots. Additional emergency vehicles were staged at the Hither Hills west overlook on Montauk Highway and on Napeague Harbor Road.
An eastbound Long Island Rail Road train was stopped between Napeague Meadow and Napeague Harbor Roads and was set to return to Amagansett about about 9:40 p.m.
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.
