Fire damages Little League building, gear in North Bellmore

An early morning fire did extensive damage to a Little League clubhouse in North Bellmore and destroyed bats, uniforms and helmets inside, an official with the league said.

Firefighters were called about 1:05 a.m. Friday to the fire at the Jacob Gunther Field clubhouse on Bellmore Avenue in North Bellmore, according to the Nassau County Police. Firefighters worked to put out the blaze as flames on the roof churned up thick smoke, according to video from the scene. There were no injuries, police said.

Mike Pulliza, vice president of the North Bellmore-North Merrick Little League, which includes more than 800 boys and girls, said the space has served as the central hub, where board meetings took place and equipment could be stored.

Pulliza said the roof and second floor of the structure were destroyed. The fire also damaged much of the first floor, he said. The league is waiting to hear back from town and county officials before making a determination on the future of the structure, Pulliza said.

"The damage was quite substantial," he added.

Fire officials from the North Bellmore and North Merrick fire departments, and the Nassau fire marshal, did not respond to multiple calls for comment this weekend.

Despite the fire, Pulliza said in a phone interview that the fall season will go on and he believes the community will rally around the league. As of Sunday afternoon, a GoFundMe page set up to benefit the league had raised nearly $6,500.

"We're a strong community and … people believe and people step up," he said, adding that hopefully, "we'll push through."

With Grant Parpan

By Tiffany Cusaac-Smith

tiffany.cusaac-smith@newsday.com@T_Cusaac

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith is a general assignment reporter for Newsday. She previously worked at USA TODAY and is an alum of Howard University.