Officials: 7 fires in 13 hours leave man injured, displace 17 as rash of Nassau blazes continues
The scene of the house fire on Baisley Avenue in East Rockaway on Saturday. Credit: Lou Minutoli
Seven fires in a 13-hour period across Nassau County that extended into early Sunday injured one person, displaced 17 others and required the services of 450 firefighters from multiple departments, the authorities said.
The fires included five in homes and continued the spate of blazes in Nassau County since Feb. 6, fire officials told Newsday. The seven fires made a total of about 24 in that nine-day period, Nassau Chief Fire Marshal Michael F. Uttaro said Sunday.
Officials in Suffolk previously told Newsday there had been eight fires in the county from Feb. 6 through Thursday.
On Sunday, the Suffolk County Fire Marshal’s office said no significant fires were reported in the past 24 hours.
In a previous interview, Uttaro said the volume of the fires across Nassau was "definitely abnormal." While no specific pattern had emerged to determine how they started, the consensus is that most are a result of the cold weather "heating season," the period from November through midspring.
"The heating season becomes notorious for fires, because people are using their heat, the heating systems in the house, whether they're gas, oil or electric," Uttaro said. "The fires have been caused by everything from unattended cooking, to candles, to smoking," Uttaro said. "We had at least one or two electrical fires."
Below is a timeline of the seven fires in Nassau since Saturday morning, according to reports from Capt. Nicholas E. Corrado, deputy county fire coordinator.
A fire in an East Rockaway home left a man injured with burns. Credit: Lou Minutoli
- In Seaford, a house fire on Ray Street at 11:42 a.m. Saturday displaced two residents. One woman was carried out of the building by a neighbor, but no one was injured. Forty firefighters brought the fire under control within 20 minutes.
- In East Rockaway, a fire on Baisley Avenue at 1:21 p.m. Saturday left one man with burns on his face and hands and displaced two residents. About 75 firefighters put out the fire in 40 minutes.
- In Valley Stream, three residents were displaced after a 3 p.m. fire Saturday at their house on South Waldinger Street. There were no injuries; 60 firefighters responded to the scene.
- In Lynbrook, a 6:30 p.m. Saturday fire broke out in a Lynbrook Public Works Department garage near Crab Avenue. About 75 firefighters brought the blaze under control within half an hour, and there were no injuries.
- In Wantagh, 75 firefighters responded to a fire just before 9 p.m. to the exterior of a private house in Wantagh that displaced five residents. Live electrical wires also fell on a neighboring building, forcing the evacuation of those residents as well. There were no injuries. PSEG responded to cut power from the wires.
- In Baldwin, an 11:39 p.m. fire in a two-story private house on Cramer Court displaced five residents. About 50 firefighters brought the fire under control within 15 minutes.
- In Franklin Square, a fire at 12:34 a.m. Sunday at a commercial building on Franklin Avenue was brought under control within 20 minutes by some 75 firefighters. No injuries were reported.
Investigators from the Nassau County Fire Marshal's office and police arson and bomb squad were working to determine the causes of the fires.
Newsday's Arielle Dollinger and Joshua Needelman contributed to this story.
Winter break is full of fun NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday Deputy Lifestyle Editor Meghan Giannotta have your look at activities to do with the family this winter break.
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