Medford fire: 2 firefighters, 1 resident injured
Two firefighters and a resident were hospitalized after sustaining undisclosed injuries during a house fire Wednesday in Medford, Suffolk County fire officials said.
Suffolk County police said the fire on Locust Avenue, near the intersection of Mulligan Drive, was reported in a 911 call around 9:30 a.m.
Firefighters from the Medford Fire Department responded and fire officials said additional departments also assisted, including firefighters from Coram, Farmingville, Hagerman in East Patchogue, Holtsville, North Patchogue and Yaphank.
Officials did not immediately identify the department with which the two injured firefighters serve. They were transported to Stony Brook University Hospital.
Medford Second Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Melcher later said the two firefighters were "OK" following examination and treatment. A Suffolk fire official said a resident of the home also was taken to a hospital for treatment of what were described only as "minor injuries."
Melcher confirmed "a couple of animals," believed to be two dogs and a cat, died in the fire.
Melcher said responding firefighters arrived on scene to find the home ablaze. Video from the scene showed flames raging from several windows on the first and second floors of the home, as well as thick smoke billowing from windows. Although the fire was declared under control about 10:30 a.m. the scene remained active after 11 a.m., officials said.
An arson investigator responded to the scene, as did the Red Cross, a Suffolk fire official said.
A Red Cross volunteer at the scene, Paul Nulty, said the residents would be given a debit card that could be used to access shelter.
A fire official said the home had been determined to be uninhabitable at this time.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known and remains under investigation.
With James Carbone
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
