2 Oceanside firefighters hurt in recycling plant blaze

Two Oceanside firefighters suffered smoke inhalation and other minor injuries Thursday after they became trapped in a burning sheet metal recycling plant in the hamlet, a county fire official said.

Firefighters responded at 2:30 p.m. to reports of a fire at 460 Brown Court, Nassau County Chief Fire Marshal Mike Uttaro said. An online listing shows Cousins Metal Industries, a scrap metal recycling facility in Oceanside for more than 50 years, as the occupant of the building.

All workers were evacuated from the building, Uttaro said. There were no reports of injuries among employees.

The two trapped firefighters were rescued and treated for smoke inhalation. One of the pair was also treated for a neck injury and taken to Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital. The other firefighter was also treated for exhaustion. Neither firefighter's injuries were considered serious, Uttaro said.

More than 100 firefighters battled the blaze from eight departments. The fire was doused and brought under control after nearly three hours, officials said.

Fire marshal fire investigators are working to uncover what ignited the blaze.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.