Fire closes Pantry Diner

Workers boarded up the Pantry Diner on Monday morning after an overnight fire caused extensive damage to its kitchen, and water damage throughout its interior. Twenty-foot-high flames were visible on the eatery’s roof as Rockville Centre firefighters responded to a call at 2:40 a.m. Rockville Centre police and fire companies from South Hempstead, Baldwin, Lynbrook and Oceanside helped battle the blaze. No injuries were reported and the fire was under control within an hour. The Nassau County Fire Marshal ruled the fire as accidental and officials said it started in an oven that had been left on overnight, causing grease in the air ducts, which lead to the roof, to catch fire. The diner’s fire suppression system did extinguish some of the flames, but damage to the popular restaurant on the corner of Long Beach and Merrick roads was still significant.