Long Island firefighter arrested in Medford wildfire – NBC New York

A volunteer firefighter on Long Island was arrested Tuesday evening after allegedly admitting to starting one of the wildfires that tore through the city of Medford earlier in the day, a local official said.

Researchers battled nearly a half-dozen small wildfires in Medford on Tuesday. They evicted them in the evening after fighting them for about six hours, officials said. No injuries have been reported.

The volunteer firefighter is with the Medford Fire Department, according to the city supervisor of the town of Brookhaven, where one of the fires struck her property at Pines Park.

Police identified him as 20-year-old Jonathan Quiles. They allege he intentionally set a fire in a wooded area on Mount Vernon Avenue on Tuesday afternoon; a parked car nearby was damaged. Prosecutors accused him of setting cotton balls on fire and throwing them into the woods and under a car.

Quiles, of Medford, was charged with arson and reckless endangerment. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment later Wednesday in Central Islip. The judge granted Quiles supervised release. His lawyer said he would protect his client and fight for him.

Brookhaven plans to file charges, the regulator says. The Medford Fire Department said in a Facebook post that it had suspended the volunteer. It added a background check that raised no red flags.

Other details were not immediately available.