30 displaced, four firefighters sustain minor injuries in Lakeview building fire

A building fire in Lakeview that destroyed storefronts and apartments has displaced 30 people, according to the Nassau County fire marshal’s office.

The American Red Cross was on scene to assist the seventeen adults and 13 children who lived at 667 Woodfield Rd., said Chief Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro. The building, he said, is uninhabitable and will be demolished. Additionally, four firefighters sustained minor injuries, but refused medical attention. No civilian injuries were reported.

The cause of the blaze is undetermined, Uttaro said, but he said he didn't believe it to be suspicious.

Uttaro said the first of several 911 calls came in around 4:10 a.m. It took 150 firefighters from 24 departments to battle the blaze and bring it under control shortly after 9 a.m.

The building contained the apartments upstairs and several storefronts on the ground floor, including a hair salon and two or three storefronts that were vacant and boarded up. A car had apparently once been crashed into at least one of them.

The fire and response led to the suspension of the Long Island Rail Road’s West Hempstead branch, Uttaro said. The service has since been restored.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.