The 1,100-acre fire on New York’s Long Island that damaged at least 10 homes last month was caused by arson, according to local officials.
New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation said in a report that the fire was set intentionally, Newsday reported.
But a spokesperson with Suffolk County Police said it is still investigating the incident and has not ruled out other possibilities for the fire.
“It doesn’t appear the fire was born from natural causes but that doesn’t necessarily mean the fire was intentionally started,” said a police spokesperson, who wished not to be named, according to the publication. “There may come a time when we make the determination that it was arson, but we’re not there yet.”[
However, another spokesperson told The New York Times that the blaze “was not caused by natural acts of nature.”
In the past dozen years, forest rangers classified 80 percent of wildfires near the towns of Brookhaven and Riverhead as arson, Newsday said.
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