Long Island Fire: Firefighters Injured And Homes Destroyed In 1,000 Acre Blaze (VIDEOS)

1,000 acres of land have been damaged, three buildings destroyed, and three firefighters injured by a raging brush fire on Long Island that started Monday.

A State of Emergency has been issued and the National Guard is on alert as 35 fire departments are battling the blaze, hoping to have it contained sometime Tuesday, CBS reports.

"We are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to get the fire under control before winds pick up again," Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said at a news conference Tuesday, according to NBC, referring to the dry and windy conditions that caused the fire to spread.

What started as two separate brush fires in Ridge and Manorville merged into one massive fire Monday night. Two homes and one commercial building were destroyed in the blaze, the worst the area's seen since the mid-90s.

From NBC:

Three firefighters were taken to Stony Brook University Hospital's burn center with injuries after a fire truck became caught in a fire in Ridge. Two were released, and a third was admitted with first- and second-degree burns, officials said.

One fire broke out at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, which is located on a 5,265-acre site in the Pine Barrens. No buildings are reported to have been damaged.

In what is largely a rural area, dotted by farms, there is concern over the welfare of animals, namely horses. One man told Patch he had to transport 24 horses from his farm while hundreds of others could be at risk.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for the tristate area because of the dry and windy conditions.

A large fire broke out on Staten Island Monday at the Fresh Kills landfill when pile of compost and mulch spontaneously combusted. And in New Jersey, another 1000 acres were burning in separate fires. At least one of the fires in Burlington County continued to burn at dawn Tuesday.