Officials: 2 kids hurt in Long Beach apartment fire

Two children evacuated from a burning Long Beach apartment building Tuesday morning were treated for minor injuries and evaluated for smoke inhalation, fire officials said.

The fire at the building on Birch Court, just north of City Hall and just west of the railroad station, was reported at 7:59 a.m., according to a statement posted to the City of Long Beach Fire Department’s page on Facebook.

Firefighters arrived to find “visible smoke” coming from a second-story window, according to the Facebook account.

Firefighters located a fire in the walls and ceiling of the unit and opened the walls and ceiling of two adjoining bedrooms to “quickly extinguish the fire” — preventing it from traveling to other apartments in the complex, officials said.

It was unclear how many residents were in the apartment at the time — or how the children evacuated the scene.

“One bunny rabbit was successfully removed from the fire room . . . ” the account reported.

The children were taken to South Nassau Communities Hospital to be evaluated, officials said. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Nassau County fire marshal’s office.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”