The Westhampton brush fire that burned 400 acres of dry woodland forest and sparked a massive statewide response in eastern Suffolk County on Saturday has been fully knocked down, while arson investigators have launched a probe into the cause of the blaze. As reported in NEWSDAY, first responders and local officials were relieved yesterday that the region was spared from widescale injuries and property damage during the fire, the biggest of four in the area. But they cautioned that a risk remained that the fire could restart. Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services Commissioner Rudy Sunderman said the fire will not be considered completely "contained" until 10-foot breaks are built around the full perimeter of the fire, where combustible materials and elements are removed to prevent it from reigniting and spreading. Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine said the county was "lucky" the fire…which was on the south side of 27…did not spread further. "We thought the fire would jump the highway, in which case we’d have big problems because that’s where most of the pine barrens are," Romaine said at a Sunday morning news conference. Throughout yesterday, bulldozers and other heavy equipment trucks cleared vegetation to create the buffers. As of 7 last night, the breaks were 60% completed, Sunderman said, adding that the work will continue this morning. A team of 25 detectives, working alongside arson investigators in helicopters, on Sunday began looking into the origins of the fire.Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said the investigation includes interviewing all 911 callers."We're going to get to the bottom of this," Catalina said. Investigators are still days away from determining the official cause of the fire, he said.***The Westhampton wildfire has been 100 percent knocked down and 22 percent contained, according to Rudy Sunderman, the commissioner of the Suffolk County of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services. Speaking at a press conference at Francis S. Gabreski Airport called by Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine and attended by numerous elected and emergency services officials on Sunday morning, Sunderman said previous reports that the fire was 80 percent contained were incorrect. “Knocked down refers to all visible fire. You don’t see any visible fire as we speak,” he said. “Containment refers to the creation of a fire break around the perimeter.” Stephen J. Kotz and Brendan J. O’Reilly report on 27east.com that Sunderman said State Department of Environmental Conservation rangers were working with Suffolk County and Southampton Town crews to use bulldozers and payloaders to create a safe fire break. “We’ll be working today until dusk and be back at it tomorrow” until the job is completed, he added. He said the fire burned about 400 acres and that approximately 600 volunteers from 80 fire departments and 10 ambulance crews turned out to fight the fire. Westhampton Beach Second Assistant Chief Lewis Scott said two commercial buildings were burned, with one being destroyed and the other suffering serious damage. Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said 25 detectives, including arson specialists, had been assigned to investigate the cause of the fire. “We are going to get to the bottom of what happened,” he said, but he refused to speculate as to whether police suspect arson.***The Retreat’s Stephanie House Shelter is in need of basic items to help serve its clients. The shelter provides a safe haven and critical resources for survivors of domestic violence. Among the items needed are clothing, toiletries, and school and kitchen supplies. Specifically, The Retreat is seeking women’s clothes in large, extra large and XXL, underwear and slippers; toiletries including shampoo and conditioner, body wash and lip balm; school supplies including 5-subject notebooks, pens and pencils,...

Westhampton wildfire 100% knocked down, 22% contained