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Saturday brush fires in Long Island have been linked to a backyard s’mores session in Manorville, New York, according to investigators.
Officials said Monday that the fires were sparked accidentally after a group of people tried to make the sweet treats s’mores — Graham cracker “sandwiches” of chocolate and toasted marshmallows — in their backyard.
The group reportedly used cardboard to ignite their fire to toast the marshmallows, according to Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina.
“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,” Catalina said at a news conference on Monday. “The person subsequently discovers that the fire does ignite in the backyard area and all goes up in fire.”
Strong winds over the weekend whipped through the backyard and carried embers from the fire east toward Westhampton, where a large fire occurred, according to NBC News. Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said that recently downed trees and the 35 mph winds helped to fuel the fires into significant blazes.
The Westhampton Pines Fire burned approximately 600 acres over the weekend before fire responders managed to contain the flames.
According to Catalina, the initial fire was contained by 10:30 a.m., but by then the embers had already been scattered east, where they ignited the brush fire near Westhampton.
“It was initially reported that there were four separate fires, or reported at one time,” Catalina said.
“All of those fires are in a direct line with the strong northwest wind that was blowing that day. And it is believed that the embers from each fire traveled and continuously started more fires. So that is the operating theory right now,” he added.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has ordered a burn ban for the area in the wake of the fires. She prohibited most types of outside camping, cooking and warming fires in Long Island and parts of the Hudson Valley, citing the ongoing dry conditions in the region.
Backyard fire pits, small campfires, and small cooking fires in contained units are exempt from the ban.
The burn prohibition will remain in place until an annual fire ban on outdoor fires starts on March 16, according to Hochul’s office.
Only two buildings were damaged in the fire, with one being “fairly destroyed,” according to fire officials. Another was significantly damaged, officials said.
