Fire Island, barrier beach, 32 mi (52 km) long, off the south shore of Long Island, SE N.Y., separating Great South Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. Robert Moses State Park is at its west end. Once accessible only by boat, Fire Island is now linked with Long Island by bridge and causeway, but automobile access is limited; ferry services connect it with South Shore towns. A retreat of New York City residents, Fire Island has long been noted for its varied communities, including resorts favored by gay vacationers. The Fire Island National Seashore (est. 1964) embraces all of the island except the state park (see National Parks and Monuments, table).

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.

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