Firefighters injured battling house blaze in West Hempstead

Five firefighters, including one of two trapped in a basement, were treated for injuries after battling a house fire Friday in West Hempstead, authorities said.

Two were treated at the scene on Spruce Street. One firefighter trapped in the basement and two others were taken to a hospital for treatment, West Hempstead Fire Department Chief Peter Lilli said.

He did not describe the extent of the injuries.

As many as 100 firefighters from 12 departments responded to the blaze, first reported at 3:05 p.m. as a dryer fire, Lilli said.

Two firefighters in the basement were briefly trapped before other rescue workers found them, he said.

"They had gotten disoriented," Lilli said. "They radioed over that they were unsure where they were and they couldn't find their way out."

No residents were injured in the fire, which was put out in about a half-hour, Lilli said.

"We were met with heavy smoke and a good volume of fire in the basement already that had extended into the first and second floors through the walls," he said.

The Nassau County fire marshal's office is investigating the cause of the fire, Lilli said.