Fire hazard trespass

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — Firefighters and local officials in a Long Island village are entitled to qualified immunity on a resident’s Fourth Amendment claim filed after the fire department entered his property without permission or a warrant after a neighbor complained. A federal court in New York ruled that exigent circumstances authorized the entry, as there was a strong gas odor originating from a decaying car battery, posing a fire hazard.