Fire heavily damages Woodbury apartments; firefighter injured, residents displaced, authorities say

An early morning electrical fire in Woodbury damaged six apartments and forced residents out of a two-story building at the complex, authorities said.

Syosset firefighters were called to the Eagle Rock Apartments on Fairhaven Boulevard at 12:50 a.m. Tuesday. The fire started in a ground floor apartment and spread to the upper floor of the garden apartment building containing 18 units, according to the Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office.

All residents were safely evacuated from the building and no injuries were reported, said James Hickman, Nassau County assistant chief fire marshal. Residents from six adjoining apartments were relocated with the help of the American Red Cross because of the smoke and water damage, authorities said.

The fire was ruled as accidental and deemed not suspicious; investigators found it was caused by an electrical issue, Chief Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro said.

Workers were patching the roof of the charred building Tuesday morning as Oyster Bay building inspectors examined the structure and surrounding units. The town deemed six of the units uninhabitable and neighboring apartments were also evacuated.

Erin Sweeney, 26, and Bill Keenan, 28, who lived in a neighboring apartment, were carrying suitcases and belongings to their car after they said their power and water were turned off due to the fire. 

They said they had lived in the apartment for four months and were planning to stay with relatives until the building was deemed habitable. 

"At 1 a.m., we were dead asleep and heard banging on our door. We saw all the lights and smelled smoke," Keenan said. "We grabbed as much as we could."

Added Sweeney: "The fire department told us we were one of the lucky ones. Everyone stood back and crossed our fingers the fire would stop spreading. Everyone got out and, God willing, it was not any worse."

Oyster Bay town officials said they expected 10 of the apartments to be habitable once cleared by the property manager's electricians and engineers. Aid workers also offered supplies including food, water and cleanup kits to residents who went on to stay with friends and family, according to the Red Cross, which also provide emergency assistance to four others evacuated from the complex.

About 100 firefighters from seven area departments responded, bringing the blaze under control in about 50 minutes, Hickman said.

One firefighter was treated and transported to a hospital for smoke inhalation and is in stable condition, Hickman said.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.