6 hurt after fire erupts in East Meadow apartment building
Firefighters try to clear ice and snow from a fire hydrant as they battle an apartment fire in East Meadow on Saturday. Credit: John Scalesi
Six residents of an apartment building in East Meadow were taken to a hospital to be evaluated for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out in a first-floor apartment on Newbridge Road late Saturday night.
The North Bellmore fire department and seven neighboring departments responded to a call shortly after 11:30 p.m. Saturday, according to the Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office.
About 75 firefighters fought the flames in single-digit temperatures and subzero wind chills. The fire was brought under control in about 35 minutes, the fire marshal's office said.
The residents of the two-story building were taken to the Nassau University Medical Center; their conditions were not available Sunday, authorities said.
It’s unclear how many people have been displaced by the fire, the marshal’s office said.
Nassau County authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.
This was the second significant blaze in the immediate area on Saturday, after a house erupted in flames in North Bellmore at about 6 p.m.
And a 67-year-old woman was found dead Saturday morning after a fire ripped through her Plainview home, authorities said.
Battling a fire when there’s snow on the ground and temperatures are below freezing poses additional hazards for firefighters.
If hydrants haven’t been cleared of snow, it can be hard to maneuver trucks and equipment close to the building, said Kevin Regan, a spokesperson for the Wantagh fire department, one of the companies that responded to the call for mutual aid.
Water used to extinguish the fire can spill into sidewalks and roads and quickly freeze, posing a hazard for pedestrians and drivers, he wrote to Newsday in an email.
Residents can help by shoveling out the hydrants on their streets to "allow firefighters to do their jobs more quickly and efficiently," Regan said.
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