Mineola fire displaces 25, destroys four businesses, officials say

A fire that gutted a row of commercial storefronts Sunday night in Mineola reignited early Monday, bringing firefighters from four Nassau County departments back to the scene in search of active hot spots around 5 a.m., Nassau County police and fire officials said.

Fire officials said those firefighters were able to locate the source and said the reignited fire was “quickly knocked down.”

The initial fire on Main Street, reported in a 911 call at 7:56 p.m., destroyed four businesses and displaced 25 residents in apartments in the affected buildings, Nassau County Assistant Chief Fire Marshal Michael F. Uttaro said. He said two firefighters were evaluated and treated at the scene for signs of exhaustion and said the Long Island chapter of the American Red Cross also responded to the scene and was helping to provide temporary housing for those displaced.

There were no civilian injuries reported, Uttaro said.

Firefighters from 17 Nassau departments, including Mineola, Garden City, Garden City Park, Stewart Manor, New Hyde Park, Williston Park, Carle Place, Hempstead, Bellerose Terrace, Albertson, Floral Park and Floral Park Centre, all responded to the scene. They found a massive blaze involving “several commercial buildings and multiple apartments,” which were fully engulfed in flames, officials said.

It took 200 firefighters about four hours to bring that blaze under control, under the direction of Mineola Fire Chief Rob Connolly, the incident commander, Uttaro said.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation by police Arson/Bomb Squad detectives, investigators from the Nassau Fire Marshal’s Office and inspectors from the Village of Mineola Building Department and the Town of North Hempstead.

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.”