Suffolk County police: Volunteer firefighter intentionally set a brushfire in Medford
Tuesday evening, first responders raced across the town of Brookhaven to put out nearly half a dozen fires, including the one in Medford.
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Suffolk County police have charged a Medford Fire Department volunteer firefighter with intentionally setting a brushfire in Medford.
Jonathan Quiles, 20, intentionally set a fire in a wooded area on Mount Vernon Avenue at approximately 3:35 p.m. on Tuesday - according to police. A fire also damaged a 2004 Chevrolet parked nearby.
Quiles was charged with arson in the fourth degree, arson in the fifth degree and reckless endangerment in the second degree.
Quiles has been suspended by the Medford Fire Department, according to a post from the Medford Fire District.
The fire department released a statement on Facebook saying in part:
"The Medford Fire District perform arson background checks before admitting members and there was no knowledge to suspect that this individual may have had any inclination of intentionally setting fires. At this time this individual is suspended and if convicted he will be terminated."
On Tuesday, Chief Kevin Hoffman, of the Medford Fire Department, said about an acre burned in the woods near Bloomington Street before the fire was put out.
Wednesday morning, it took dozens of firefighters several hours to get another brushfire under control in Medford.
Officials believe the latest fire was a rekindling of Tuesday evening's fires that tore through several parts of Twelve Pines Park.
“When we first arrived, we had about four 100 x 100 rings burning and it is under control at this time," Medford Fire Department Lieutenant John Palladino said. "We have mutual aid from other departments here for their brush trucks and it’s looking pretty good now.”
Officials said the fire started around 4 a.m. near 271 Southaven Ave. Firefighters were using brush trucks to navigate the difficult wooded terrain as other first responders scanned the park on foot with flashlights.
"Fortunately for us, the wind conditions are low so it was easier for us to bring under control this fire," Palladino said.
The smell of smoke filled the air surrounding the park.
Tuesday evening, first responders raced across the town of Brookhaven to put out nearly half a dozen fires in Medford, Farmingville, Yaphank and Brookhaven.
Smoke could be seen for miles as acres of woodlands burned for hours. Several fires got close to residential and commercial areas but evacuations were not necessary at the time.
On Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a statewide burn ban until Nov. 30. Long Island is under a fire weather warning due to dry and windy conditions.
Quiles was arraigned and let go with a GPS monitor.
His attorney Anthony La Pinta said his client has never been arrested before and described him as "good-natured" and "non-violent." He said there's a history of some psychological issues.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney released this statement: "Unfortunately, under New York’s “Bail Reform,” intentionally setting fires in the midst of the dangerously dry conditions and a statewide burn ban are not bail eligible offenses, meaning my prosecutors cannot even ask for bail on these charges. Our New York lawmakers need to get their act together and pass common sense fixes to a broken bail system."
