100 Freeport firefighters battle blaze

Over 100 members of the Freeport Fire Department battled a blaze that engulfed two houses on Raynor Street Sunday evening and left one fire department member and one resident injured.

Freeport firefighters responded to a working house fire at 65 Raynor Street on Sunday, Aug. 30 at approximately 7 p.m. Fire Chiefs Colgan and Van Cott, along with Ladder 218 and Engine 216, were first on the scene.

“On arrival units found a very heavy fire on the first floor with fire already auto-exposing to the number two [second house] exposure,” reads a statement posted on the Freeport Fire Department’s Facebook page. “Both homes sustained major damage but aggressive interior attacks saved the structures.”

The Freeport Fire Department had over 100 members fighting along with mutual aid called in from several neighboring communities.

“The quick response of the Freeport Fire Department saved lives and contained this fire,” Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy said. “This was another great response by the Fire Department, Police, water department, OEM [Office of Emergency Management], and Buildings Department. The fire was completely extinguished when I arrived at 9:45 p.m.”

The injured fire fighter and resident were taken to South Nassau Communities Hospital for minor injuries. The Fire Marshal is inspecting the scene to determine the official cause of the fire.