Glen Cove mansion destroyed in early-morning fire

Severe winter conditions hamper responders

Posted

A 120-year-old mansion on Ridge Road was destroyed by fire on Jan. 7. The massive blaze, which began in the early morning, in the Red Spring Colony area of Glen Cove, quickly consumed the structure, burning for 13 hours before firefighters could extinguish it.
A house sitter made the initial 911 call at 2:07 a.m., according to a report by Mayor Timothy Tenke to the Glen Cove City Council.
Firefighters had to contend with temperatures near zero, which affected water pressure, and 20 degrees of wind chill in battling the blaze. “It was a big, bad fire,” Glen Cove Fire Chief Robert Marino said. “The conditions were extremely adverse.”
One firefighter, whose name was not released, was injured in the blaze. The fire, which is under investigation by the Glen Cove Police Department and the Nassau County fire marshal’s office, was thought to be electrical in origin, according to the mayor’s report to the council. The sitter, who was the sole occupant of the house at the time of the fire, was safe, Tenke said. The owners’ names were not released.
Glen Cove Fire Department’s Engine and Hose Company No. 4 was first on the scene, with engines 524 and 528, followed by Pacific Engine and Hose Company No. 1, according to a department spokesman. Hook and ladder and engine and hose companies from the Glenwood and Locust Valley fire departments were next on the scene with their tower ladders.

Seventeen mutual aid departments assisted in the operation, as well as eight other agencies, including at least four tower ladder companies and eight engine companies, as well as Emergency Medical Services, Office of Emergency Management and Red Cross units.
Fire departments from Albertson, Bayville, Bethpage, Carle Place, East Norwich, Glenwood, Hicksville, Great Neck, Jericho, Locust Valley, Manhasset-Lakeville, Mineola, Oyster Bay, Plandome, Port Washington, Roslyn, Syosset and Westbury, among others, sent units ranging from engine companies to rescue engines to tower ladders to help with the operation.
At the peak of the blaze, more than 100 firefighters, EMS, police and support personnel were battling it, according to Marino, who thanked all the departments and other support groups for their help.