Fire at deli strikes other businesses on Rockaway Avenue in Valley Stream; 3 firefighters injured
Firefighters battle a fire that spread through a cockloft to a row of businesses on West Lincoln and Rockaway avenues in Valley Stream on Saturday morning. Credit: Paul Mazza
Three firefighters suffered minor injuries and seven businesses were gutted by a Valley Stream fire on Saturday morning, officials said.
Nassau County Chief Fire Marshal Michael F. Uttaro said the three firefighters were taken to nearby hospitals, where two were treated for exhaustion and one for facial burns.
The Valley Stream Fire Department, which is about two blocks from the scene, responded quickly to the fire, which was first reported at Jadwiga Polish American Deli at 5:30 a.m.
Patrick Scanlon, chief of the Valley Stream department, said, “We were met with heavy fire and smoke from the deli at the corner” of Rockaway and West Lincoln avenues.
He said 6-foot flames were shooting from the roof and the fire also was dropping from the ceiling as responders entered the building to knock it down.
The fire had extended into the cockloft, a common area between the top floor ceiling and roof.
“Once the fire gets in there it is tough to extinguish it. It winds up spreading very quickly through the entire building,” he said.
About 21 fire departments and 150-200 firefighters helped pour water into the cockloft. But tin ceilings on the building made it challenging to access the cockloft, Scanlon said.
“Tin ceilings are very labor intensive. They're very hard to pull down so we needed long hooks and a lot of firefighters to come here to help put it out,” Scanlon said.
The cause and where it started is under investigation but is not suspicious, officials said.
Mariola Skoczek said her parents have owned the Jadwiga deli for 12 years, and it’s their main source of income.
While looking at the extensive damage, she said “it’s everything” to them. She said her 65-year-old mother works hard every day to maintain the business.
“We just want to take it one day at a time,” she said, adding that she was grateful nobody was hurt.
“That's the most important thing,” Skoczek said. “Thank God this happened in the morning.”
She said her father was bringing items to the deli when he saw the first fire truck pull up.
Sarfraz Ahmed, owner of Sam’s Steak and Grill at 58 Rockaway Ave., said a firewall between his restaurant and the salon/spa next door likely stopped the fire from burning the restaurant that he's owned for seven years.
He was distraught to see the Orange Skye Day Spa next door was gutted.
“The husband, wife and daughter works … They come every day to make a couple of bucks, to survive. I feel sorry for the family,” Ahmed said.
Three firefighters suffered minor injuries and seven businesses were gutted by a Valley Stream fire on Saturday morning, officials said.
Nassau County Chief Fire Marshal Michael F. Uttaro said the three firefighters were taken to nearby hospitals, where two were treated for exhaustion and one for facial burns.
The Valley Stream Fire Department, which is about two blocks from the scene, responded quickly to the fire, which was first reported at Jadwiga Polish American Deli at 5:30 a.m.
Patrick Scanlon, chief of the Valley Stream department, said, “We were met with heavy fire and smoke from the deli at the corner” of Rockaway and West Lincoln avenues.
He said 6-foot flames were shooting from the roof and the fire also was dropping from the ceiling as responders entered the building to knock it down.
The fire had extended into the cockloft, a common area between the top floor ceiling and roof.
“Once the fire gets in there it is tough to extinguish it. It winds up spreading very quickly through the entire building,” he said.
Firefighters battle a blaze on Rockaway Avenue in Valley Stream on Saturday morning. Credit: Newsday/Lorena Mongelli
About 21 fire departments and 150-200 firefighters helped pour water into the cockloft. But tin ceilings on the building made it challenging to access the cockloft, Scanlon said.
“Tin ceilings are very labor intensive. They're very hard to pull down so we needed long hooks and a lot of firefighters to come here to help put it out,” Scanlon said.
The cause and where it started is under investigation but is not suspicious, officials said.
Mariola Skoczek said her parents have owned the Jadwiga deli for 12 years, and it’s their main source of income.
While looking at the extensive damage, she said “it’s everything” to them. She said her 65-year-old mother works hard every day to maintain the business.
“We just want to take it one day at a time,” she said, adding that she was grateful nobody was hurt.
“That's the most important thing,” Skoczek said. “Thank God this happened in the morning.”
She said her father was bringing items to the deli when he saw the first fire truck pull up.
Sarfraz Ahmed, owner of Sam’s Steak and Grill at 58 Rockaway Ave., said a firewall between his restaurant and the salon/spa next door likely stopped the fire from burning the restaurant that he's owned for seven years.
He was distraught to see the Orange Skye Day Spa next door was gutted.
“The husband, wife and daughter works … They come every day to make a couple of bucks, to survive. I feel sorry for the family,” Ahmed said.
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