$10,000 Reward Being Offered In Suffolk County Wildfire Arson Case
MANORVILLE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- The search is on for an arsonist on Long Island.
Police are now saying a massive fire that destroyed hundreds of acres in Manorville in April was intentionally set.
It took firefighters from more than 100 departments in Suffolk County two days to put out the fire that began on April 9 near the Brookhaven National Laboratory.
WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reports
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The fire eventually spread to 1,100 acres within the Pine Barrens. It destroyed three homes along with a commercial property in the areas of Manorville and Ridge and forced residents to evacuate.
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At first, investigators thought extremely dry temperatures and strong winds sparked the fire and kept it going.
Now investigators believe it was arson.
"We have exhausted all of our leads that we were following on this fire," Det. Sgt. George White said. "We're asking the public's help."
Suffolk County police and the arson task force are each offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest.
