Fire damages Merrick co-op, kills two pets

A fire on the evening of Saturday, Jan. 3 seriously damaged one residence at Barclay Townhouse, the co-op at 1425 Jerusalem Ave. in North Merrick, and caused the deaths of a cat and parrot, according to Michael Rut, first assistant chief of the North Bellmore Fire Department.

No people were hurt, Rut reported. He said the home’s residents evacuated after the fire started, but the pets were left behind and died of smoke inhalation.

Seventy-five firefighters from local departments responded to Barclay Townhouse and extinguished the fire before it could spread to the co-op’s other units, according to Rut. Their swift action was crucial, he said, because fire in townhouses often spreads rapidly and can quickly cause structural collapse.

“Townhouses are an extremely dangerous type of construction for firefighters,” Rut said.

The Bellmore, North Bellmore, North Merrick, East Meadow, Uniondale and Wantagh fire departments responded to the call, either at the scene or on standby for one another, Rut said. He described an “enormous” number of emergency vehicles, including fire engines, ladder and heavy rescue trucks, ambulances and support cars at Barclay Townhouse.

Rut said someone in the affected home had been cooking, but he could not pinpoint the fire’s exact cause. He said the kitchen sustained severe damage, and that the rest of the unit had smoke and water damage.