Firefighters withdrawn from site of massive Westbury fire, official says

Firefighters quit the site of a massive trash facility fire in Westbury shortly before dawn Friday — more than 24 hours after the blaze, which was battled by almost all of Nassau's 71 fire departments and some from Suffolk, first broke out.

Joe Howlin, dispatch supervisor for the Westbury Fire Department, said by telephone that the last firefighters were withdrawn at about 4 or 5 a.m., and Jamaica Ash and Rubbish Removal's fire director was on the site. A company employee declined comment.

The fire was reported at 8:48 p.m. Wednesday on Covert Lane.

About 300 firefighters fought long hours to extinguish the blaze, which was fueled by a variety of what fire experts call combustible materials, including baled cardboard and trash. Once the fire was contained, firefighters still had to guard against the risk that smoldering embers could spark another blaze.

While the trash collector is located in an industrial park, there are homes nearby.

Tim Placilla, a Nassau assistant fire chief, said Thursday that firefighters couldn't enter the building because the roof had partially collapsed, and "heaps" of garbage blocked access.