Burst pipe at Bethpage motel forces evacuation of 125 people, authorities say

At least 125 people were evacuated from a Bethpage long-stay hotel Sunday night after a pipe burst and compromised the electrical system.

Around 5:22 p.m. Nassau police received a call of a pipe burst at Extended Stay of America, at 905 S. Oyster Bay Rd.

The pipe burst from the third floor of the building, resulting in extensive water damage that compromised the electrical system, Town of Oyster Bay spokesperson Brian Nevin told Newsday in an email.

The incident occurred during subzero overnight temperatures. By Monday morning, a large portion of the hotel’s eastern parking lot had frozen over.

In the back of the building, running water from a pipe could be seen draining into the road over already frozen ice. Icicles could be seen hanging from east facing windowsills Monday morning.

NICE buses were deployed at the hotel for use as temporary warming stations, spokesperson Mark Smith said.

The hotel building was closed to the public Monday morning and yellow papers from the Town Code Enforcement Bureau with words "DO NOT OCCUPY" were posted at every entrance.

Another sign from hotel management was posted on the lobby doors, stating the building was closed and those displaced should go to the chain’s Melville location at 100 Spagnoli Rd.

Arya Ranganathan, 37, said she had left the extended stay Sunday night to watch the Super Bowl and returned around 9 p.m. to find the building had flooded and was evacuated.

Nassau police were on the scene to assist and she was allowed to enter her residence and retrieve some of her and her children’s belongings. She returned Monday morning in hopes of gathering more, but no one was present to let her in.

She said many other families live at the hotel.

"It's hard for not only me, but for a lot of other families that have been here for years," Ranganathan, who described herself as a single mom with a low income.

Gina Brooks, 34, attempted to go back inside the hotel around 11:30 a.m. Monday to obtain her family’s belongings but her hotel key card at a side entrance didn't work.

Brooks, her 79-year-old mother, Bessie Brooks, her 5-year-old daughter and her 33-year-old sister have been living at the hotel for about two weeks after being displaced from a Hempstead residence due to an asbestos problem.

Brooks said the darkened hotel was an eerie scene when she returned from her full-time job Sunday evening. The lights were off and everything was dark.

"I see most of the people who were staying here rushing to take their belongings," she said. "There were alarm sounds going off. It was something out of an apocalypse."

Brooks said hotel staff informed them they needed to evacuate due to a burst pipe and she proceeded to pack her family's things.

"It’s something I've never seen before, Brooks said. "I've stayed in plenty hotels and never seen something like this."

Police and emergency management personnel helped everyone evacuate safely, she said.

But many people who are now staying at the Melville location left their cars at the Bethpage hotel along with the majority of their belongings, including food and groceries, Brooks said.

Hotel staff said they could return to Bethpageto get their items, but Brooks said it was frustrating not to see anyone from management there and to be unable to enter the building.

"To me, it's bizarre, and it's a little bit irresponsible. How do you not take responsibility for what's happening?" Brooks said. "Now we're pretty much trying to figure it out.

Ranganathan said while she was grateful she and her children stayed at the Extended Stay in Melville Sunday night, she said this incident exposes a bigger issue regarding the affordability of living on Long Island, no matter one's circumstances or income.

"A lot of the housing, it's not affordable for us," she said. "For one bedroom, it’s like $3,000. I might as well save up for a house."

A person inside the Extended Stay of America in Melville said none of the managers were available to comment. In an earlier phone call to the Melville hotel, the person answering declined to comment. 

A representative of the American Red Cross said they had not been contacted to assist displaced persons and referred questions to Nassau County on anyone staying at the facility through a county placement. A county spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.

Check back for updates on this developing story.