Fires at houses in Hempstead, Shirley displace residents

Fires less than 18 hours apart in Hempstead and Shirley displaced the occupants of two homes, officials said.

The Hempstead Fire Department responded to a fire at a two-story home on Alabama Avenue around 2:50 p.m. Thursday, Assistant Chief Fire Marshal Andrew Schmitt Jr. said in a news release.

"Heavy damage to the house" rendered it "not habitable," Schmitt said.

Around 55 volunteers, including those from the Baldwin, Freeport, Garden City, Rockville Centre, South Hempstead and West Hempstead fire departments, responded to the call.

After the fire, which was contained after 25 minutes, the owner of the home arrived and was evaluated by first responders, according to Schmitt. The fire marshal could not be reached by telephone Thursday evening to discuss the homeowner's condition. No other injuries were reported.

The Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office and the Nassau County Police Arson Bomb Squad were investigating the cause of the fire.

Wednesday night, dozens of firefighters from multiple departments battled a Shirley house fire.

Around 10:20 p.m. Wednesday, the Brookhaven Fire Department responded to calls of a fire at a Cape-style home on Flintlock Drive, Chief Giuseppe Loiacono told Newsday at the scene Wednesday night.

All the occupants of the home were unharmed, Loiacono said. He was not sure how many people lived in the home. No firefighter injuries were reported.

Volunteers from the Bellport, Center Moriches, Mastic, Mastic Beach and Yaphank fire departments responded to the blaze, which was deemed under control at around 11:20 p.m., according to the Brookhaven chief.

"It was difficult because we had primary wires down," Loiacono said, referring to electrical wires outside the home. "We had fire pretty much through the roof, so we went to exterior operations."

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, Loiacono said. The Suffolk County Police Arson Squad and Brookhaven Town fire marshals are investigating.