WESTHAMPTON BEACH -- New York Air National Guard firefighters assigned to the 106th Rescue Wing deployed along the Sunrise Highway on Saturday March 8, 2025 as they fight the Pine Barren Fire which erupted that afternoon as high winds swept across Long Island.
Airmen were evacuated from nearby F.S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base, while one of the wing's HH-60W Jolly Green II search and rescue helicopters flew 28 water bucket firefighting missions, dropping 660 gallons of water each time. Eventually, three UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters from the Army Guard's 3rd Battalion, 142nd Assault Helicopter Battalion, were also deployed against the massive fire.
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