St. James Firefighters Battle Back Brush Fire

With a brush fire in Manorville heading into its 22nd hour, and fire crews on the ground being pulled so officials can drop thousands of gallons of water to douse it, many on the ground – including those in the St. James Fire Department – are saying significant progress has been made.

"It's charred up," said Tony Mussumeci. "There's nothing left. But there are some patches here and there which we're trying to get a hold of."

While reports of flames have been hard to come by Tuesday morning and early afternoon, hot embers that could strike a dry spot, start a fire, and spread as the wind blows, are a constant concern. 

The SJFD had just spent about two hours in a brush truck – making a trip with West Sayville, East Marion, and Setauket Fire Departments – when interviewed around 11:30 a.m.

"It's a lot less intense today," said Third Assistant Chief with West Sayville Fire department, Todd Gray. "It's mostly just charred at this point. It's just more wind-fueled and the wind has died down a little bit."