After fire, Hempstead Town Hall expected to reopen Thursday; court matters could again be moved

Nassau County court officials were bracing for closures Thursday at the courthouse in Hempstead while crews make repairs to restore power after an underground electrical fire.

An electrical fire at the Nassau County First District Court in Hempstead on Tuesday night forced the closure of the building Wednesday and limited power to Hempstead Town Hall.

PSEG Long Island crews had restored power to all areas except for the courthouse by Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

PSEG officials said the courthouse was being energized Wednesday night while crews worked on permanent repairs. 

The court, at 99 Main St., was closed Wednesday and all arraignments and hearings scheduled were instead heard at Nassau County Court at 262 Old Country Rd. in Mineola.

Prosecutors said arraignments were planned to resume Thursday at the courthouse in Mineola. 

Hempstead Town officials said Town Hall was expected to reopen for all services Thursday. The town had to cancel and reschedule all Board of Zoning Appeals hearings Wednesday due to the fire, which caused a power outage to Hempstead Town Hall and the old courthouse at 350 Front St. 

Nassau County fire marshals said the fire sparked at about 5 p.m. Tuesday and was believed to be caused by "an accidental electrical fire involving the failure of equipment" inside an underground PSEG Long Island "electrical vault."

There was no fire or smoke damage to the courthouse, but PSEG had to cut power to the building Tuesday night due to the failed equipment.

The underground vault contained mostly wiring, which firefighters doused with water to extinguish the blaze, said Chief Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro. The malfunction may have occurred during a high usage, but the fire did not spread to the courthouse, Uttaro said. 

Newsday’s Joshua Solomon and Nicholas Grasso contributed to this report.

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.