Long Beach man injured in house fire

Firefighters battle East Penn Street blaze

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A Long Beach man evacuated his elderly mother when their East Penn Street home became engulfed in flames on Saturday, and sustained minor burn injuries when he attempted to put out the blaze.

Long Beach Fire Chief RJ Tuccillo said that Long Beach firefighters rushed to the scene between Edwards and Riverside boulevards on Saturday at 4:47 p.m., where heavy fire and smoke could be seen coming from the second-story windows.

Firefighters entered the home and were able to contain the fire to the second floor, and rapidly extinguished the blaze with an “aggressive attack.” Between 40 and 50 firefighters responded to the home and were on the scene for several hours, Tuccillo said.

“[The flames] were coming out all of the front windows,” Tuccillo said. “There was a lot of stuff in the house so it took a while to make sure [the fire] was completely out. There was a hot spot in the ceiling that took a few hours.”

Tuccillo said that the occupants of the home, a man in his 50s and his mother, who is in her 90s, escaped before firefighters arrived. The Nassau County Fire Marshal responded to the scene for a routine investigation, and the fire is believed to have started when an electric heater ignited a couch, Tuccillo said.

“[The heater] was a little too close to the couch,” Tuccillo said. “And by the time the guy got his mom out ... every window had been blown out. He tried to put the fire out but it got too out of control for him.”

Tuccillo said that the man was transported to Nassau University Medical Center with minor burn injuries. No other injuries were reported. The homeowner could not immediately be reached for comment.