Cruising Catastrophe! Flames Break Out in Fire Island's Meat Rack

A fire raged for two hours in a wooded area between the popular gay areas known as The Pines and Cherry Grove, before a small army of firemen put it out.

The blaze, now deemed suspicious, began about 5:40 p.m. on Thursday. Fire boats helped control the blaze, which could be seen from the beach, while firemen were ferried in because the island has no roads for cars or trucks.

The blaze happened in an area popular for hook-ups that's known as the Meat Rack but officially named the Carrington Track. The land was once owned by Broadway producer Frank Carrington, but the National Park Service controls it now. A horrific fire ripped through the Fire Island Pines community three years ago and burned most of the commercial businesses — including a gay bar — to the ground; they've since been rebuilt.

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