Elongated sandspit, off the southern shore of Long Island , New York state, U.S. The island measures 32 mi (51 km) long and 0.
5 mi (1 km) at its widest, and its name refers to fires that were built there as signals to ships during the War of 1812 ; a lighthouse was built at its western tip in 1858. Now a popular summer resort, it is connected to Long Island by two bridges and by ferry. Fire Island (now Robert Moses) State Park was opened in 1908, and a 19,000-acre (7,700-hectare) section of the island was dedicated as a national seashore in 1964.