Unconscious teen rescued in Glen Cove fire

Glen Cove firefighters and police rescued an unconscious 19-year-old woman from a house that had burst into flames early Tuesday and left eight people hurt.

The identities and conditions of the victims were not available Wednesday, but Chief Anthony Tripp said the 19-year-old woman was taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, where she was being treated for cardiac arrest and smoke inhalation.

The others suffered relatively minor injuries.

Tripp said the 5:15 a.m. fire on Ford Street was confined to the first floor of the two-story wood-frame building, but that it was a "hot fire" that spit out balls of flame as firefighters tried to get in to save the last occupant.

"This was a major operation," Tripp said, adding that about 75 firefighters were on the scene of the fire, which appeared to have begun in the kitchen. The blaze is being investigated.

Firefighter Patrick Peet, who lives across the street, tried to enter the building when the owner told him someone was still inside. He was one of several firefighters, including Tripp, who first tried to enter the home through the front door - but were deterred by a blast of heat.

Two Glen Cove police officers, Ed Linares and Frank Palone, removed an air-conditioning unit and hoisted Peet, the first one on the scene, into the first-floor window so he could find the unconscious victim.

Firefighter Justin Valeo, who lives down the block from the fire, came inside the apartment through the window to assist Peet with the victim before he was overcome by heat and had to leave the house, Tripp said.

Firefighter Al Shakal then entered through the window and helped Valeo hoist the victim out and into the arms of Palone, Linares and Tripp, who were waiting outside the house.

The fire was under control within half an hour, Tripp said. He added that Glen Cove received mutual aid from the Locust Valley, Sea Cliff and Glenwood fire departments.

"Our first responders do what they do best, they showed up and they saved a human life today by risking theirs," said Glen Cove Mayor Ralph Suozzi. "My thanks to them all and to the departments who responded to the mutual aid."