Workers next door help kids during fire

When a roof fire forced the evacuation of a West Islip child care center Monday morning, not only did firefighters come to the rescue -- so did employees of a nearby car dealership.

The blaze, which Suffolk County police and fire officials said apparently was accidentally started by workers repairing a roof in the strip mall along Sunrise Highway, caused the evacuation of 134 children, some as young as 5 months, from the Tutor Time child care center.

The children and staff were given refuge at the nearby Atlantic Auto Mall, whose employees bought diapers and baby wipes for the children and pizza and soda for the staff, and even shut down the sales showroom for 2 1/2 hours.

Corrine Burton, director of Tutor Time, said the staff at the auto mall, which has both a Hyundai and a Nissan dealership, went out of their way to lend a helping hand.

Atlantic Auto Mall general manager Dan Toomey said, "We all have our children," adding he has a 17-month-old boy and 5-month-old twin boys. "The children were the most important thing."

The fire was reported at 11:06 a.m., police said. Fire officials said firefighters from West Islip and Bay Shore responded. None of the children was hurt.

Other businesses in the area were evacuated as well.

Burton said more than 30 staffers moved the children in evacuation cribs, wheeling them to the car dealership next door. The children are aged 5 months to 5 years.

"They were wonderful," Burton said of the Atlantic staff.

Burton said the children and workers were able to return to Tutor Time after the fire was extinguished. She said there was minor water and tile damage.