Fire damages Sandy-displaced family's Oceanside home

An apparent electrical short sparked a late-night fire Wednesday in an Oceanside home already damaged and unoccupied due to superstorm Sandy, a local fire official said.

The fire began in a piece of electrical equipment next to an attached garage, then spread to the main house on Vermont Avenue, Oceanside Fire Department Assistant Chief John Madden said. Nassau fire officials said the fire was reported around 10 p.m. Volunteers from Oceanside, Baldwin and Freeport battled the blaze.

Madden said the residents of the home had already been displaced by storm damage resulting from flooding.

"This was a family that was already displaced," Madden said, "and now they have this."

He said the fire extended to the home, causing "significant damage" after getting up into the roof rafters and knee wall.