EMFD fights ice and fire

firefighters battled flames in frigid weather inside a Bryant Street home on Jan. 8.

Bill Kelly/Herald

The house sustained severe damage to its first and second floors from the intense heat and smoke.

Bill Kelly/Herald

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Jan. 8 brought about a battle of the elements for the East Meadow Fire Department. On a numbingly cold day, the department received a dispatch call reporting a house fire on Bryant Street, shortly before 3 p.m.

Department spokesman John O’Brien detailed the department’s response on the EMFD website.

Arriving on the scene six minutes later, members, equipped with self contained breathing apparatus, forced entry through the front door, located the fire in the kitchen, and began their attack.

The frigid temperatures turned water into ice within minutes, O’Brien said, creating slippery conditions.

Within 15 minutes of arrival, all visible fire had been knocked down and additional resources from neighboring departments began to fill the street.

The aggressive attack from the crews made the difference in confining the main body of the fire to the kitchen, but O’Brien said heat and smoke caused considerable damage to the first and second floors.

A family pet was removed from the home, surviving the fire.

More than 60 East Meadow volunteers responded to the blaze, with another 25 volunteers from Levittown, Wantagh, North Bellmore, North Merrick, and Westbury Fire Department providing assistance.

The cause of the fire was put in the hands of the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office, said O’Brien, who estimated that damage to the home could reach $75,000.00. There were no injuries.

To read O’Brien’s full description, go to eastmeadowfd.com.