The Brookhaven Fire Department is apologizing this morning after a viral Facebook picture caused outrage across the Island.

The picture showed a Confederate flag draped across a Brookhaven Fire Department truck. The photo was taken at a drive-by parade for a fellow firefighter who is battling cancer.

The photo had been shared several times, prompting the department to post an apology on its Facebook page on Sunday.

Chief of Department Peter DiPinto Jr. said in part "The incident involved a sole firefighter, acting alone, during a nonresponse event, and disciplinary action is already underway." He added, "The unauthorized action was done without the knowledge of our leadership team and is condemned in the strongest of terms.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone tweeted that he was deeply disturbed by the incident, saying the individual responsible should be held accountable and called for an investigation.

The Brookhaven Fire Department is not identifying the firefighter who displayed the Confederate flag, but friends who know him say that this has all been a big mistake and the display of the Confederate flag was not meant to be racist. The flag was once the symbol of the Confederacy and has now become an emblem of white nationalism.

Brookhaven's Town Board and supervisor have also spoken about the photo and strongly condemned the action.

Gov. Cuomo released a statement on the incident, saying, "I'm appalled by reports that a Confederate flag was flown on a Brookhaven Fire Department truck at a Patchogue parade. We have zero tolerance for symbols of racism or division, and I have directed the New York State Division of Human Rights to investigate the incident immediately."