LBFD battled Beech Street blaze

The Long Beach Fire Department, along with 10 other local departments, responded to a two-alarm fire on East Beech Street in the early hours of Friday morning.

Fire Commissioner Scott Kemins said that a call came in at 1:21 a.m. reporting a house fire at 522 E. Beech St, and firefighters arrived within five minutes of the call. Upon arriving at the scene, Kemins said the house was “fully involved,” meaning flames were coming out of all windows. Additionally, the fire was spreading to the two neighboring houses, so Kemins said that he called a second alarm.

The LBFD was assisted by the Island Park, Point Lookout-Lido, Oceanside, Baldwin, Freeport, Lawrence-Cedarhurst, Inwood, Hewlett, Rockville Centre and East Rockaway Fire Departments. One firefighter was injured at the scene, and was transported to South Nassau Communities Hospital with a shoulder injury.

The fire was under control by 3 a.m., and all operations were secure at 4:45 a.m. All three houses were inhabited, but were successfully evacuated. The house where the fire started, 522 E. Beech St., suffered extensive damage. Both neighboring houses, 518 and 528 E. Beech St., suffered moderate fire damage to the exteriors of the house, and one had minimal damage to the attic.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Nassau County fire marshal, but has been deemed not suspicious.

Kemins said that cold weather made the scene especially dangerous because any water that hit the street and sidewalk immediately froze, making it slippery to walk on. Additionally, fire hoses and hydrants run the risk of freezing in cold temperatures.