North Amityville house fire being investigated, Suffolk police say

Suffolk County police Arson Squad detectives are investigating a house fire on Emerald Lane South in North Amityville on Tuesday morning, authorities said.

The blaze, which broke out shortly before 5 a.m., does not appear to be criminal, police said.

The Copiague Fire Department arrived first at the scene after receiving the call, said Chief Dominick Nuzzi.

The Amityville and North Lindenhurst fire departments responded to the scene, officials said, bringing the blaze under control in about an hour. The East Farmingdale Fire Company responded with its ambulance, Nuzzi said.

An undisclosed number of occupants in the two-story home were treated for smoke inhalation, authorities said.

Calls to the Amityville Fire Department and the Town of Babylon Fire Marshal's Office were not immediately returned.

Since early January, neighboring fire departments -- Copiague, North Lindenhurst and Amityville, along with the East Farmingdale -- were directed to take calls by Babylon Town, which canceled its contract with the North Amityville Fire Company.

Town officials had become alarmed when membership in the department grew sparse amid a controversy and response times reached as long as an hour during the first week in January.

Supervisor Rich Schaffer had told Newsday the town is working on an agreement with Stony Brook University Hospital and Catholic Health Services to have an ambulance parked in North Amityville to also take calls.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.