Letters

Sincere thanks to all firefighters who responded to the Westhampton wildfire of March 8.

A 30-foot wall of flames could not overcome the efforts of courageous firefighters who battled flames from the rooftop of my building. The safety of those firefighters who put their lives on the line is of greater importance than the damage I sustained.

If the Pine Barrens Commission reduces the vegetative fuel with prescribed burns, sections the vast Pine Barrens preserve with cleared fire breaks or, at a minimum, allows property owners to clear a small buffer between their buildings and the preserve, such wildfires could become more manageable and not of catastrophic proportion. Such actions would give firefighters a safer chance of stopping a fire that places the property and well-being of others in jeopardy.

Joe Gazza

Quogue