Candle ignites fire in Freeport apartment building, 32 displaced
At least 32 people were displaced by a fire Thursday night at an apartment building on North Columbia Avenue in Freeport, officials said. Credit: John Scalesi
An unattended candle ignited a basement fire Thursday night in a Freeport apartment building that displaced 32 people, the Nassau County fire marshal said.
Firefighters from six departments responded to a fire reported shortly before 9 p.m. in the two-story building on Columbus Avenue, said Nassau County Fire Marshal Mike Uttaro.
About 100 firefighters battled the blaze, getting it under control in about an hour.
One of the firefighters was injured but was treated on-site and did not require hospitalization, Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy said.
"He got lost in the basement with the heavy smoke, trapped in a room," Kennedy said. "He ended up breaking down a wall to get out of that room."
The damage was primarily in the basement and several apartments also sustained damage, Kennedy said.
Nine families were displaced, he said.
The building was deemed uninhabitable by the Freeport building department because of smoke damage.
The American Red Cross was offering shelter to those displaced by the fire.
Smoke alarms were activated throughout the building, Uttaro said.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
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