The state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services warned that wind gusts up to 40 mph were likely, complicating efforts to douse flames.

After devastating forest fires raged in LA in January, the East Coast has now also been hit as an inferno of flames puts New York in a state of emergency.

Brush fires on New York's Long Island fanned by high winds have picked up quickly. The fires were spewing thick gray smoke into the sky and closed a major highway on Saturday.