A volunteer firefighter has been arrested for allegedly starting a brush fire on New York’s Long Island.
The incident occurred shortly after 3:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday afternoon, according to Suffolk County police.
The department said 20-year-old Jonathon Quiles had intentionally set a fire in a wooded area of Medford on Mount Vernon Avenue.
The fire damaged a 2004 Chevrolet car that was parked nearby. No injuries were reported in the blaze.
“Following an investigation by Arson Section detectives, Quiles, 20...was charged with Arson 4th Degree, Arson 5th Degree and Reckless Endangerment 2nd Degree,” the department wrote in a press release provided to The Independent.
Quiles was scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Wednesday. It wasn’t clear if he had an attorney who could speak for him.
The Medford Fire District said in a statement on Wednesday that it performs arson background checks before admitting members and that there had been “no knowledge to suspect that [Quiles] may have had any inclination of intentionally setting fires.”
“At this time, this individual is suspending and, if convicted, he will be terminated from the Medford Fire Department,” the district said
The incident is being investigated by the police department’s arson squad.
The news comes as Long Island and New York City saw even more Red Flag warnings on Wednesday.
Officials told WNBC that they had battled nearly a half-dozen small brush fires in Medford on Tuesday, fighting them for approximately six hours.
Dozens of fires have broken out in New York and across the Northeast in the past few days amid bone-dry and windy weather conditions – even as high temperatures have dipped to between 45 to 50 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday.
Although rain passed through the region on Sunday night, pervasive drought has continued to increase the risk. New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection upgraded the state to a Drought Warning on Wednesday. New York has been under a drought watch for days.
“New Jersey is experiencing unprecedented weather conditions – as a result of climate change – that require us to take these precautionary measures now,” Governor Phil Murphy said in a statement. “It can be challenging to adjust our daily habits, but it is imperative that we all work together, heed the guidance to conserve water, and use the utmost caution outdoors to reduce the risk of wildfire as dry conditions continue statewide.”
Another man was arrested for arson in connection to a wildfire that burned near New Jersey’s Six Flags Great Adventure.
“The fire was caused by magnesium shards of a Dragons Breath 12-gauge shotgun round igniting available combustibles on the berm of the shooting range. The firing of this type of incendiary or tracer ammunition is prohibited in the State of New Jersey,” officials said.
With reporting from The Associated Press
