EMFD fights blaze on Van Buren; saves cat

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East Meadow firefighters responded to a house fire on Van Buren Avenue, in East Meadow, on Monday afternoon, just before 1 p.m. Members of Ladder 617, followed by Engine 612, Ladder 619, Engine 4 and Engine 1, arrived on the scene, and “were confronted with zero visibility and a quickly advancing kitchen fire, now extending into the attic of the home,” said volunteer John O’ Brien Sr.

As more EMFD volunteers joined the fight, firefighters managed to clear the blaze and also rescue a family cat, delivering it to its awaiting family members. More than 50 East Meadow volunteers responded to the fire, O’Brien said, along with mutual aid from North Bellmore, North Merrick, Hicksville, Levittown, and Wantagh fire departments.

The house sustained considerable damage, he said, but the fire was held to the kitchen and parts of the attic. The cause of the blaze was placed in the hands of the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s office for determination.