Thomas's Ham 'n' Eggery diner in Carle Place shuttered by fire
Chicken sausage and biscuit Benedict at Thomas's Ham 'N' Eggery in Carle Place. Credit: Newsday/Joan Reminick
An electrical fire at Thomas’s Ham 'n' Eggery on Saturday morning has shuttered the popular 76-year-old Carle Place diner temporarily. No one was hurt.
Owner Tom Koukoulas said he was gearing up for breakfast service at 8 a.m. when the lights flickered and half the restaurant lost power. “When I went downstairs," he said, "I saw the electric meter was on fire. I used the fire extinguisher on it, shut off the electricity, shut off the gas, but it still kept sparking.”
The Carle Place and Mineola fire departments arrived shortly but were stalled, Koukoulas said, until PSEG showed up about 45 minutes later. Meanwhile, customers were asked to leave.
The Carle Place Fire Department did not respond to an inquiry seeking details about the fire.
Koukoulas said that, aside from the meter, no equipment appeared to be affected, although there was a fair amount of smoke and dust. He doesn’t yet know the extent of the damage — or how long it will take to repair. “It was the weekend,” he said. “Now the insurance adjusters will come and we’ll see where we are. I’m just going to have to let the process happen.”
One of Long Island’s best bets for breakfast (lunch and dinner are also excellent), Thomas’s Ham 'n' Eggery was established in 1946 and was bought by the Koukoulas family in 1973.
An electrical fire at Thomas’s Ham 'n' Eggery on Saturday morning has shuttered the popular 76-year-old Carle Place diner temporarily. No one was hurt.
Owner Tom Koukoulas said he was gearing up for breakfast service at 8 a.m. when the lights flickered and half the restaurant lost power. “When I went downstairs," he said, "I saw the electric meter was on fire. I used the fire extinguisher on it, shut off the electricity, shut off the gas, but it still kept sparking.”
Firefighters and emergency power crews respond to a fire at Thomas's Ham & Eggery in Carle Place on Aug. 27. Credit: Lou Minutoli
The Carle Place and Mineola fire departments arrived shortly but were stalled, Koukoulas said, until PSEG showed up about 45 minutes later. Meanwhile, customers were asked to leave.
The Carle Place Fire Department did not respond to an inquiry seeking details about the fire.
Koukoulas said that, aside from the meter, no equipment appeared to be affected, although there was a fair amount of smoke and dust. He doesn’t yet know the extent of the damage — or how long it will take to repair. “It was the weekend,” he said. “Now the insurance adjusters will come and we’ll see where we are. I’m just going to have to let the process happen.”
One of Long Island’s best bets for breakfast (lunch and dinner are also excellent), Thomas’s Ham 'n' Eggery was established in 1946 and was bought by the Koukoulas family in 1973.
