Fire Island blaze closes harbor, destroys buildings

The harbor at Fire Island Pines is closed to public traffic and two large buildings in the hamlet are scheduled to be demolished after 22 fire departments put out a large fire Monday night in the dock area, Suffolk County police said.

A police spokeswoman said officials expect the harbor to be closed until about 4 p.m. so heavy demolition equipment could be moved in. Two large buildings near the area of Fire Island Pines Boulevard and Black Duck Walk are scheduled to be razed, the spokeswoman said, but she was not sure exactly which two buildings were set to come down.

The spokeswoman said she had "no word" on injuries related to the blaze.

Fire Island Pines is a summer beach community on the South Shore barrier island in Brookhaven town, with about 700 homes in an area of about one square mile.

The community has some of the most expensive real estate on Long Island.

The Fire Island Pines Fire Department was one of 22 area departments responding to a 9:15 p.m. call, according to police.

Four ambulance crews also responded, and crews needed more than two hours to get the blaze under control.