About 30 Uber vehicles catch fire at Huntington Hilton, officials say

Nearly 30 vehicles being stored in the rear parking lot of the Huntington Hilton in Melville caught fire Monday afternoon, authorities said.

The fire, which was reported around 2:45 p.m., appeared to spread from one vehicle to the next in the parking lot at 598 Broadhollow Road, said David Kaplan, chief of the Melville Fire Department.

The lot was being used to store several hundred Uber cars from Long Island and New York City, he said.

An Uber spokesman said the vehicles were owned by a separate company that rents out vehicles from New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission to ride-share drivers.

"The fire started in the middle of the parking lot," Kaplan said. "Each vehicle was within six inches of the next vehicle. Approximately 30 vehicles were destroyed."

Two firefighters responding to the scene suffered heat exhaustion but no civilians were hurt, he said.

The fires, which were brought under control late Monday afternoon, "do not appear to be suspicious," Kaplan said.

The Suffolk County Police Department's Arson Squad and the Town of Huntington Fire Marshal are investigating.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.