HUGE wildfires have erupted near the wealthy Hamptons enclave in New York, with thick smoke blacking out the sky.
Four separate brush fires burned along Sunrise Highway into the Long Island neighbourhood on Saturday afternoon – one reportedly sparked by a car crash.
A car caught fire after an accident, and strong winds spread the flames, according to reports.
Sunrise Highway, the main route into the Hamptons, was closed in both directions.
Flames and smoke engulfed skies over Country Road 51 in Manorville, where the fire leaped over the road just before 2pm.
Other fires were reported in the Pine Barrens and near Francis S Gabreski Airport in Westhampton.
The airport was evacuated as a precaution.
Cops urged people to avoid the area, warning the situation is “ever-changing”, and 40 fire crews swooped in to battle the flames.
A witness who was driving eastbound said: “There was a black plume about 400 feet in the air near Westhampton.”
And Hamptons resident Tanya Layburn told Newsday she got a call about the fire before escaping with her children Randy, 25, and Barbara, 28.
She said: “We almost didn’t know if we were gonna get […] We just backed it up and got the hell out of there.”
“The New York National Guard has already begun providing air support by helicopter and is coordinating with local law enforcement.”
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Moment LA firefighter boss breaks down in tears in burned ruins” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”pV1KxHf2t” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6367119835112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Southampton Town councilman Bill Pell reported the fire was close to the Hampton West Estates, and said some residents could be ordered to evacuate, according to 27east.
Some people living nearby have reportedly evacuated their homes voluntarily.
Pell said that military aircraft had been called in to dump water on the fires – which are also being monitored from the air.
Police said the situation was “dynamic” and that numerous fires had been reported in the area at around 1:30pm.
An hour later, Southampton Town issued an emergency notice.
It read: “The Town of Southampton instructs all residents to refrain from any and all outdoor recreational fires during the next 24 hours due to high winds and the danger of wildfires.”
Governor Kathy Hochul said on X: “We are in close communication with local partners on Long Island to coordinate assistance and make sure they have the resources they need to protect their communities.”
Experts have said the fire could have been stoked by the weather conditions on Saturday afternoon.
Bryan Ramsey, a meteorologist, told Newsday: “The main reason for the risk is just because we have some pretty strong winds coming in from the northwest, gusting up to 35 miles per hour.
“Whenever you tie that in with low humidity it can lead to an elevated risk for fire spread.
“We’ll have a minimum humidity around 30 percent. So, we urge people to use extreme caution with potential ignition sources.”
The eastbound Sunrise Highway was closed at Exit 58 and police are asking people to steer clear.