Massive, wind-fueled brush fires erupted across Long Island’s Pine Barrens on Saturday, prompting a large emergency response and forcing officials to declare a State of Emergency in Southampton, Suffolk County.

The fires ignited around 1 p.m. along Sunrise Highway and continued to burn aggressively into the evening.

Sunrise Highway was temporarily closed but reopened just before 9:30 p.m., according to the Southampton Town Police Department.

The affected area stretched three miles long and one mile wide, from Center Moriches toward Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach.

Smoke drifted dangerously close to the airport, where Air National Guardsmen quickly sprang into action, using water drops from above to battle the flames.

“You never want to see something like this happen, but it’s really good that it did happen within sight of the National Guard because they reacted immediately,” said Terence O’Leary of NYS Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

Retired police officer Patty Lucci was driving along Sunrise Highway when she noticed the fire and initially feared a car had veered off the road and ignited the flames.

She quickly realized it was something much worse.

“It’s jumping trees at this point, and it’s moving pretty fast,” Lucci said. “The winds were insane. I had to walk backward away from the smoke because I couldn’t breathe.”

Fire crews worked through the night using brush trucks to target hot spots in the rugged terrain.

Air National Guard conducted water drops to help contain the flames.

As of Saturday evening, the Westhampton fire was 80% contained.

One firefighter suffered second-degree burns to his face and was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital.

Two commercial buildings sustained damage.

The fires were fueled by low humidity and gusty northwest winds of 30-35 mph, creating a tinderbox across the Tri-State area.

The National Weather Service had issued an alert for elevated fire risk on Saturday, warning that strong winds and dry conditions would heighten the likelihood of fast-spreading wildfires.

As emergency crews continue working to fully contain the flames, residents remain on high alert for potential flare-ups in the fire-prone Pine Barrens region.