Long Beach firefighters battle house fire

Long Beach firefighters battled an intense house fire at Lincoln Avenue and East Pine Street on Dec. 21 that left three firefighters injured and two pets dead.

According to Fire Commissioner Scott Kemins, firefighters responded to the blaze, at 419 E. Pine St., near the Long Beach Medical Center, just after 4 p.m. They arrived at the scene within three minutes, Kemins said, where they faced serious fire, smoke and heat conditions.

“There was a lot of fire; it was very hot. It was heavy,” Kemins said. “There was a lot of smoke. It took us an hour to bring it under control.”

Kemins said that firefighters from the Point Lookout-Lido, Island Park and Oceanside departments assisted. In total, 70 firefighters were on the scene, he said. He added that the fire started on the first floor of the two-floor home.

Long Beach Fire Chief Richard Corbett said that the fire was caused by a shortage in a power strip near a Christmas tree. He added that the engine companies that arrived on the scene first made “aggressive attacks” to curtail the fire. “It was very advanced by the time we got there,” Corbett said. “Everybody was out of the house. There was fire pushing out of three windows. It was some intense heat, the air was dry and we were concerned for the surrounding houses.”

He said that three Long Beach firefighters were injured, and a cat and dog perished in the blaze. Firefighters were on the scene for about three and a half hours, Corbett estimated.

“Unfortunately, we were unable to save the animals,” he said. “One firefighter had a shoulder injury and another had second-degree burns on his leg. The third firefighter, the power line on the back of the house burned off the house, it hung loose from the house and he took a good shock.”

Corbett said that the firefighters were treated and released from the Medical Center.

He added that there was a great deal of concern for the home’s residents, especially during the holiday season. “Any time you have a fire, it’s horrible for the people who live there,” Corbett said. “But this affects all of us. Everybody is thinking,What are they doing for the holidays? Where are they going to sleep tomorrow, and what are they going to eat for dinner? It was a tough night.”

Desiree Eso, 25, who lived on the second floor of the home for nearly four years with her sister, Danielle, 24, and her roommates, Thomas and Lisa Farley, 22 and 24, said she was at work when the fire began.

“Lisa and her brother went out Christmas shopping, and she came back around 4 p.m. and started to go upstairs,” Eso recounted, adding that Lisa Farley smelled something coming from the bottom floor, where their neighbor, Anna Patino, lived. Patino’s boyfriend, Howard Poplinger, who lives with her, owns the home.

“Lisa was knocking on the door, screaming for Anna,” Eso said. “When she opened the door, the Christmas tree was on fire. At that point, Lisa ran upstairs. I have a dog that has epilepsy. When she got upstairs, she had the dog in her hands, but the stairs were on fire by then. She was stuck.”

That was when, Eso recalled, Lisa attempted to escape from the second-floor porch. “She went to the porch and threw the dog off the porch to the people downstairs,” Eso said. “The porch started to buckle. She jumped off the porch 12 feet.”

Patino could not be reached for comment as the Herald went to press. Eso said that since the fire, Patino has received support from neighbors and others, and a friend has started a fund for her. But the majority of Eso’s and her roommates’ belongings were lost in the blaze. The event “severely traumatized” Lisa Farley, Eso said.

“We got some clothing, but as far as anything else, it’s gone,” she said. “Lisa walked in with $500 worth of Christmas gifts, and they all burned. She dropped everything and ran for the dog.”

“We’re staying with family right now,” Eso added, noting that they are currently looking for a new place to live. “We’re young adults. I’m starting with nothing. We lost everything.”