Man injured as boats catch fire in Babylon, police say

Three boats caught fire in the rear of a Babylon business Tuesday afternoon, and a man suffered burns, Suffolk County police and fire officials said.

Officers responded at 2:15 p.m. to 458 Fire Island Ave., where several boats were on fire, police said. 

Babylon Fire Chief Michaerl Golub said a man was doing work on his boat and accidentally "caused an ignition" that spread to several other boats.

The man suffered second and third-degree burns and was taken by the Babylon Fire Department to Nassau University Medical Center for treatment of injuries that were not life-threatening, Golub said.

While it was not immediately clear what caused the blaze, the Fire Marshal's Office has ruled out arson, Golub said.

Capt. Jeff Kempf Jr. of the West Islip Fire Department carried a dog from the second story of a building near the fire. The building itself was not on fire, but the smoke from the burning boats was entering the building, Kempf said. Sections of the rear of the building were melted by the heat from the flames, he said.

"There was a lot of smoke," Kempf said. "It was a female chocolate lab, about 65 pounds."

With Robert Brodsky

By Craig Schneider

craig.schneider@newsday.comScraigo

Craig Schneider is a Long Island native and Stony Brook University alumnus. He joined Newsday as a general assignment reporter in January 2018 after 20 years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.