50 displaced in Hempstead apartment fire

Amid steamy weather Friday morning, nearly 100 firefighters from nine Nassau County fire departments took turns battling a blaze at a five-story Hempstead apartment complex, fire officials said.

The fire, believed to be electrical, was reported at 7:47 a.m. and damaged nine of the 63 apartments at 10 Washington St., according to Scott Clark, an assistant chief with the Hempstead Fire Department. It took firefighters almost three hours to put out the blaze.

Four apartments were directly damaged by the fire, three by smoke and two by water, he said.

About 50 people, including nine families, were displaced. The Nassau County chapter of the American Red Cross has set up a temporary shelter at Kennedy Park, Clark said.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries, including one with a lower back injury, Clark said. The other suffered a heat-related injury because of the intensity of the fire, he said. Both were taken to Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola.

He said firefighters took turns fighting the blaze and rested inside air-conditioned buses set up nearby.

Clark said even though it was hot outside Friday morning, "fires are hot anyway, so there's not that much difference."

Officials said fire departments from Hempstead, West Hempstead, South Hempstead, Rockville Centre, Baldwin, Uniondale, Roosevelt, Franklin Square and North Bellmore responded, as well as ambulance crews from North Merrick and Mineola.

With Gary Dymski