Normal service resumes on LIRR's Ronkonkoma Branch after mulch fire
Firefighters battle a blaze at a mulch facility in Brentwood Tuesday. The fire caused disruptions on the LIRR's Ronkonkoma Branch in both directions. Credit: Evan Rolla
A fire at a mulch storage yard that caused widespread delays and cancellations Tuesday on the Ronkonkoma Branch of the Long Island Rail Road has been extinguished — and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is reporting all service has returned to normal by 10 a.m.
Authorities said the fire at the yard on Suffolk Avenue was reported at 5:38 a.m. and the road was closed to traffic between Fulton and Bergen streets. The closures have now been reopened, as well.
The storage yard location is adjacent to the railroad tracks and initially involved a suspension of train service on the line between Ronkonkoma and Wyandanch, but fire officials said they agreed to a slowdown through the area — instead of that initial shutdown.
The LIRR said multiple westbound trains were canceled as a result of the fire, with other eastbound and westbound trains delayed.
Fire officials said firefighters from at least eight Suffolk departments — Brentwood, East Brentwood, Dix Hills, Islip, East Islip, Central Islip, Islip Terrace and Hauppauge — responded to the scene.
Ambulance crews from Brentwood and Central Islip also responded, though fire officials told Newsday there were no reported injuries.
Some of the burning mulch piles were stacked about 50 feet high and fire officials said firefighters used an excavator on site to knock down the piles to ensure they could get water on the fire. The fire caused a smoke condition in the area.
Fire officials said the fire was extinguished by about 9:15 a.m. Additional information, including the cause of the fire, was not immediately available.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.
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