Volunteer firefighters from across the North Fork helped the Cutchogue Fire Department battle a fire at the Southold Town Solid Waste Transfer Station on Cox Lane in Cutchogue yesterday afternoon.
When Cutchogue Fire Department was dispatched to the transfer station at about 3:15 p.m., firefighters were confronted with a large debris fire located in the northernmost part of the landfill facility, Cutchogue Fire Chief William Brewer said.
“While responding a large column of smoke could already be seen for miles,” Brewer said.
“The large fire was quickly engulfing the construction debris section that contained large amounts of lumber and combustible materials that were piled up awaiting transfer to another facility,” the chief said.
“The fire was also beginning to threaten several nearby storage trailers, and spread to nearby brush.”
The first units to arrive attempted to control the fire, but because the fire was located in an area where there was no water supply available, Cutchogue put out a mutual aid request for tanker trucks from the Mattituck, Southold and Jamesport fire departments to provide water at the fire scene, the chief explained.
Once on scene the tankers created a shuttle to provide a continuous flow of water, Brewer said.
These departments also provided additional manpower and assistance throughout the incident, he said.
Greenport Fire Department responded to the scene with an ambulance, along with the Stony Brook University First Responder unit.
Due to the warm temperatures, one firefighter was treated for heat-related illness, and was transported to Eastern Long Island Hospital for evaluation and later released.
Firefighters were assisted by the Town of Southold Transfer Station Employees who operated heavy machinery to break apart the piles and assist with the final extinguishment and overhaul, Brewer said.
Units operated on scene for nearly two-and-a-half hours, he said.
The Greenport Fire Department also stood by at the Cutchogue firehouse in the event of any calls.
In addition to Cutchogue Fire Department, Mattituck Fire Department responded with an engine and tanker, Southold Fire Department responded with a tanker, and Jamesport Fire Department responded with a tanker.
