Westhampton Brush Fire Blamed on S’mores, Cops Say

A family trying to make s’mores at their Manorville home on Saturday morning accidentally caused the brush fire that burned more than 600 acres of woodlands from Center Moriches to Westhampton over the weekend, authorities said.

More than two dozen Suffolk County police arson squad detectives had been assigned to work with the fire marshal’s office to determine whether the fire started naturally, or an arsonist was to blame. The family is not expected to be charged with a crime since the fire was accidental, but it serves as a reminder of the need to use caution when using backyard fire pits.

“Detectives believe the cause is related to a fire that spread following an attempt to make s’mores at a home on North Cozine Road,” police said in a statement. “It’s believed strong winds spurred additional fires from embers leading to the brush fires.”

The determination comes as a ban on recreational fires was issued for Suffolk County after the fire broke out Saturday afternoon and was largely extinguished Sunday. The burn ban followed weather alerts that dry, windy conditions put the region at risk of fire spreading easily over the weekend. Officials feared it could turn into a repeat of the infamous 1995 Sunrise Fires.

Police said residents were trying to start a fire to make s’mores at about 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 8, but were unable to get it lit due to the wind, so they put cardboard on it and tried again, but were still unsuccessful.

About 45 minutes later, a 911 caller reported that the backyard of the home was on fire. Center Moriches Fire Department firefighters responded and extinguished the flames, but detectives believe embers from that fire had unknowingly spread, police said.

The first signs of the brush fire were reported shortly before 1 p.m. on the south side of Sunrise Highway about 700 feet away from the original location, followed by additional fires reported shortly later on Chapman Boulevard and Route 111. Detectives believe the origin of these fires stemmed from the initial backyard fire on North Cozine Road, police said.

Officials said investigators now believe the fire then spread east from Center Moriches to East Moriches, Eastport, and Westhampton, where it was finally extinguished. Detectives are continuing the investigation.