Port Washington house fire injures 9 firefighters, 1 police officer; 4 people displaced

Ten first responders were injured or suffered medical emergencies when responding to a house fire in Port Washington on Friday evening, Nassau officials said.

The fire started shortly before 8 p.m. at a two-story home on White Oak Drive, off Essex Court. About 80 firefighters from at least six departments responded to the fire and got it "under control" in roughly 45 minutes, according to the Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office, which sent at least one official to the fire. The other agencies on scene included the Port Washington, Manhasset-Lakeville, Roslyn, Albertson, Great Neck and Plandome fire departments.

Nine firefighters and a police officer were hurt in the fire.

Six of the firefighters were taken to North Shore University Hospital — two for medical emergencies and four to be treated for physical injuries that resulted from a partial collapse of the building. The police officer and three firefighters were treated at the scene, the fire marshal's office said in a statement.

The nature of the medical emergencies and physical injuries of the hospitalized first responders was not immediately clear, but "none of the patients suffered life-threatening illnesses/injuries," according to the fire marshal's office.

Four people were displaced by the fire. It was not immediately clear whether they were in the home at the time of the fire.

 The house next door also was scorched. The homeowner, Stephen Borries, told Newsday his "siding was melted by the heat. Other than that, there's no structural damage."

"The lights started flickering in my house," Borries said about how he noticed the fire, explaining his home's electric service line is linked to his neighbor's. "I just went down to the basement to shut off the main and I saw a fire through the basement window. I was surprised to see that. Then I went upstairs and everybody was knocking on the door trying to get me out."

Borries and his family were able to get back into their home roughly three hours after the fire broke out, he said. The Port Washington resident was waiting for an electrician to come by and restore his power when he spoke with Newsday around noon on Saturday. 

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the fire marshal's office and Nassau County Police Department detectives.

The fire marshal's statement says the fire "is not considered suspicious."

By Sam Kmack

sam.kmack@newsday.com

Sam Kmack covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and previously worked as a city watchdog reporter in the Phoenix metro area, as well as an investigative journalist at the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.