Fire breaks out at Smithtown Stuff A Bagel, other businesses on Jericho Turnpike commercial strip

Firefighters responded to a fire in a Smithtown commercial strip early Sunday morning after workers in a bagel shop saw smoke coming from the ceiling.

The fire, in the strip at 863 W. Jericho Tpke., occurred around 6:45 a.m. and drew around 100 firefighters from nine departments, according to Smithtown Fire Department Chief Dan Dongvort.

When firefighters arrived at the scene, "we had a heavy smoke condition throughout numerous stores" and a "significant" fire in the area between the ceiling and the roof of the businesses, Dongvort said.

During the response, firefighters extended a ladder to the roof above Stuff A Bagel and ran a hose inside the business. 

Workers from multiple businesses were in the stores at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported, Dongvort said.

The strip includes a beer and smoke shop, a Domino’s pizza restaurant, a car dealer, a barbecue restaurant, a foot spa and the bagel shop.

Harry Patel, a worker at the beer and smoke shop, said in a phone interview that the bagel store was closed and that inspectors were looking over the site Sunday morning. The beer and smoke shop did not suffer damage and was open, he said.

The other businesses in the strip did not answer calls for more information.

"Events like this really underscore the importance of the volunteer fire service," Dongvort said. "It really, truly shows the dedication of the volunteers coming out bright and early on a Sunday morning to give up their weekend to help with a large-scale fire like this."

The fire was brought under control in about 45 minutes. The cause of the blaze is under investigation by the Suffolk County Arson Squad and Smithtown fire marshals, Dongvort said.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

By Joseph Ostapiuk

joseph.ostapiuk@newsday.com@OstapiukJ