Hempstead blaze displaces 18 as spate of fires erupt in Nassau in last week

A house fire early Thursday damaged two single-family homes where 18 people were living — a blaze that was one of at least 24 on Long Island in the last week, officials said.

It was also the second fire in as many days in which a fire traveled from one house to another, as the Hempstead blaze started in a vacant home under construction and then spread to the two homes.

Long Island volunteers have contended with cold temperatures, buried hydrants and ice and snow from last month's storm in a spate of fires all week.

Nassau firefighters have responded to 16 active fires since Friday, including two, in Bellmore and Plainview, that proved fatal, Nassau Chief Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro said. Investigators have not found any common thread to the fires, pointing to various causes and some that were undetermined.

During that same period since Feb. 6, the Suffolk County Department of Fire Rescue and Emergency Services has responded to eight working structure fires, said fire coordinator Rudy Sunderman.

"In this time period, the members who have responded, both fire and EMS, have done an extremely outstanding job proudly protecting and serving their communities while facing extreme cold temperatures," Sunderman said. 

Fires are most common during the colder months when residents use various heating elements, including space heaters and extension cords known to be threats to sparking fires, officials said.

The Hempstead Fire Department responded to a call for fire on Oak Avenue at 12:48 a.m. and found the vacant home, a two-story house, fully engulfed in flames, according to Capt. David Maickel of the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office.

Arriving units reported the fire in a house that appeared to be "vacant and under construction" had extended to two neighboring single-family homes, officials said. One firefighter was treated at the scene for a hand injury, he said.

Nassau fire marshals have not determined a cause, Uttaro said.

Fire marshals contacted the Hempstead building department, which was investigating the living conditions. Officials did not know the relationship of the 18 who were displaced.

The American Red Cross registered five of the displaced people for emergency assistance and its Long Island Disaster Action Team is connecting with others, with some staying with friends or family, according to Frederic Klein, regional communications manager.

The two homes where they were living were on each side of the vacant house where the fire began, Hempstead Village Building Superintendent Joe Simone said.

Building inspectors were attempting to contact the owner of the vacant property, but did not find any illegal housing in either of the homes damaged, Simone said.

Some of the 16 recent fires in Nassau were started by careless smoking, unattended cooking or candles, Uttaro said.

"One thing we continue to harp on is the use of smoke detectors. In many of the fires, people safely evacuated because smoke and carbon monoxide detectors gave them the time they needed to get out safely," Uttaro said. 

A 67-year-old woman who died in the Plainview fire was the only resident in the home, Uttaro said. In Bellmore, a 72-year-old man was killed in the fire and a 69-year-old woman who was able to escape was listed in critical condition with severe smoke inhalation, Uttaro said. That fire also started in one building and spread to other homes, including the one in which the resident died.

Firefighters were unable to tell if smoke alarms were activated in the two fatal fires, Uttaro said. In both of those fires, the homes were fully engulfed when firefighters arrived, indicating there may have been a delay in discovering or reporting the fire. Both dwellings were destroyed.

At fire scenes in Bellmore, Plainview, East Meadow and Floral Park in the past week, firefighters were also dealing with obstructed fire hydrants, buried in snow and ice.

"None of the hydrants caused a delay that led to injuries, but it takes precious time away for firefighters to chip away at ice around a hydrant," Uttaro said.

Firefighters respond to many fires carrying 500-gallon water tanks but need multiple water sources, he said. Residents are urged to clear a 3-foot perimeter around hydrants to allow firefighters quick access to water sources.