Nicolas Morea, 22, of Hampton Bays, said he was in Riverhead when he spotted the smoke and drove south toward Dune Road. He ended up watching first responders arrive near the airport and said he saw fire trucks from as far as Blue Point and Patchogue.

Fast-moving brush fires fanned by high winds burned through a large swath of land on Long Island on Saturday, spewing thick gray smoke into the sky and prompting the evacuation of a military base and the closure of Sunrise Highway.

The battle against massive, wind-whipped brush fires raging across parts of Long Island's Pine Barrens entered its second day on Sunday, after flames prompted a large emergency response and local State of Emergency.

The Suffolk County police arson squad is investigating the fire, according to Mike Martino, a spokesman for Suffolk Supervisor Ed Romaine. Suffolk police Romain's office could not immediately provide details on what initiated the arson probe or whether all the brush fires resulted from the arson.