Roosevelt Field Macy's fire caused by apparent 'mechanical malfunction' on escalator

An escalator caught fire at the Roosevelt Field Macy's store on Sunday afternoon, creating "heavy smoke conditions" and forcing the evacuation of the store and nearby areas, according to Nassau County Chief Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro.

An automatic fire alarm at 12:23 p.m. and multiple 911 calls alerted authorities to the fire.

About 120 firefighters from the Westbury Fire Department and 10 mutual aid departments arrived on the scene and found an escalator on fire on Macy’s second floor, Uttaro said.

"It appeared to be a mechanical malfunction," he said.

The firefighters extinguished the blaze within an hour and no one was injured in the incident.

Damage was confined to the area around the escalator, Uttaro said, and the mall had fully reopened by 2:30 p.m. He said Macy’s will be closed for a day or two for repairs.

An email sent to the Macy's Inc. press office seeking comment went unreturned Sunday.