2 hurt LI firefighters in good condition
Firefighters work at the scene of a house fire on Quail Run in Hampton Bays. (Feb. 14, 2011) Credit: News 12 Long Island
Two firefighters hospitalized after they fell through the tiled floor of a burning Hampton Bays house were in good condition Tuesday night, a spokeswoman for Stony Brook University Medical Center said.
Volunteer firefighters Lewis Scott and Shay Lohr were among five injured who battled the Monday morning fire on Quail Run.
"They're up and moving around," said Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst. "The burns seem limited to their extremities."
Fire officials said Lohr, a masonry contractor, and Scott, a Town of Southampton police sergeant, could be discharged from the hospital as early as Wednesday.
Sgt. Michael Zarro of the Southampton police, a volunteer firefighter who was at the fire but did not witness the floor collapse, said firefighters faced intense heat and "thick, blinding smoke" that reduced visibility to less than a foot. Zarro grew up with Scott in Hampton Bays and described him as "very hardworking, very intense, very into his job."
Floor collapses are among the most lethal situations firefighters may face. "Typically, there is no warning sign," said Glenn Corbett, assistant professor of fire science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. "The floor just goes in."
Fire officials said there was a wood-burning stove in the house, but warned it could be days before an investigation by the town fire marshal and Suffolk County arson squad is completed.
Records show the 3,300-square-foot house is owned by John and Michelle Ferguson, who could not be reached. Calls to Hampton Bays fire Chief Stefan Borell were not returned.
