Man accused in Merrick garage fire

A Brentwood man has been charged with burglary and arson after he broke into a Merrick garage Sunday and started a fire that spread to the attached house and damaged the house next door, Nassau police said.

George Diamond, 23, of 32 Eisenhower Ave., broke into the attached garage at Loines Avenue West about 6:15 a.m. and lit papers with a match, police said.

Diamond, wearing only a black T-shirt, socks and shorts, ran out of the garage and into an adjacent backyard on Miller Place, where he was spotted by a neighbor, who called police, according to officials.

Officers arrested Diamond, who was taken to a hospital for evaluation before being charged with second-degree arson and second-degree burglary. Diamond was not injured. He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in First District Court in Hempstead.

When firefighters arrived, flames were shooting 6 to 10 feet out of the attached garage and it "almost looked like the whole house was engulfed," said Ron Luparello, spokesman for the Merrick Fire Department.

The fire had spread from the garage to the front door of the home and a sport utility vehicle that was parked in the driveway, Luparello said. Two occupants were in the house when the fire started, but they escaped on their own. Firefighters rescued a small dog that was trapped in the burning home, he said.

Two firefighters were taken to hospitals and released after treatment for smoke inhalation and elevated levels of carbon monoxide, authorities said. One went to Nassau University Medical Center, the other to South Nassau Community Hospital.

The heat of the fire also damaged the house next door, melting its siding, Luparello said.