Mastic fire chief honored for work on leak

The Mastic fire chief who worked in clouds of propane gas during the leak early Saturday that led to the evacuation of hundreds of homes in Shirley and Mastic will be honored by the Brookhaven Town Fire Chief's Council, council president Edward Peiliker said Sunday.

Peiliker said Mastic Fire Chief Dwight Blankenship, who was among the first to arrive at the leak scene, showed bravery in a potentially lethal situation. "He led the charge in a most positive way," Peiliker said.

Blankenship had said that surrounded by gas clouds after arriving, "I knew I was way too close to the scene, but I had to stay to get my assets in place and get the evacuation under way."

Peiliker said the association will also award a plaque to the Mastic Fire Department for their members' actions during the leak.