A Fast Response to the Westhampton Pines Fire

On March 8, a series of small brush fires hopscotched their way from Manorville east, culminating in an explosive wildfire near Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton. A massive response led by some 600 volunteers from 80 Long Island fire departments, augmented by another 10 ambulance companies, held the fire at bay, limiting damage to about 420 acres to the west and north of the airport. This week, Rudy Sunderman, the commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services, joins the staff of The Express News Group to talk about the firefighting efforts that kept the wildfires from being far worse.