Fire rips through two homes on Judith Drive

A fire engulfed not one, but two houses in flames last week in South Bellmore.

Timothy Carroll, chief of the Bellmore Fire Department, said they received a call for a house fire on Judith Drive around 5:35 p.m. on April 19, and by 5:37, the department had units on the road, responding to the scene. Carroll arrived first, and reported to responding units that two houses were involved in the fire.

When the department arrived, all occupants of both homes had safely evacuated, and Carroll said there were no civilian injuries. One fireman suffered a hand burn, but was treated at the scene and did not need to be transported to a hospital.

The Res Cross was notified to assist displaced residents.

Mutual aid was provided by 11 fire departments, including North Bellmore, Merrick, North Merrick, East Meadow, Levittown, Wantagh, Seaford, Massapequa and North Massapequa in the Sixth Battalion, and the Freeport Fire Department. In total, 90 firefighters were on the scene.

The fire was controlled within about an hour, and crews remained on the scene until 8 p.m.

Firefighters oxygen tanks can only last about 10 to 15 minutes while they’re actively working, which meant they had to constantly switch people in and out of the blaze.

“What happens is, the air bottles are only good for about 30 minutes — that’s 30 minutes of breathing, if you’re sitting in a chair,” Carroll said. “You can only afford 10 minutes before you have to come out. That’s why when you see a fire, there’s always so many people there.”

All firefighters on the scene were volunteer. Sixth Battalion departments are actively recruiting. For more, please visit BellmoreFD.com or call (516) 221-4418.

Right now, the departments believe the fire may have started in the house on the right side of the blaze, but the investigation is still ongoing with the Nassau County Fire Marshall.

Two separate collections are currently active to help the families effected by the fire. Visit GoFundMe.com/f/bellmore-fire-help-the-zhangs and GoFundMe.com/f/bellmore-fire-help-the-rambarans to donate.