2 East Rockaway residents suffer minor injuries in severe fire on Waverly Avenue

Two people were hospitalized for minor smoke inhalation injuries after their Waverly Avenue home caught fire early Thursday morning.

According to Fire Chief Tom Merkel Jr., the East Rockaway Fire Department arrived to the house at about 1:48 a.m., and stayed until nearly 6 a.m. He said they had the blaze under control after fighting it for about an hour and a half.

Two residents of the home were transported to the hospital via Nassau County police ambulance.

“The damage was major structural damage on the first and second floors,” Merkel said. “There was heavy fire on arrival, from the entire first floor and out of the windows.” He added that the home is now uninhabitable.

Merkel said the fire was not deemed suspicious, but the Fire Marshal is investigating the cause. He was unsure where the fire started, he said.

The Rockville Centre, Lynbrook, Oceanside, and Hewlett Fire Departments helped fight the fire.