Long Beach firefighters battle 'heavy' house fire

Long Beach firefighters battled a "heavy" house fire at Lincoln and East Pine Street on Dec. 21, near Long Beach Medical Center.

According to Long Beach Fire Commissioner Scott Kemins, firefighters responded to a house fire at 419 E. Pine St. at 4:08 p.m. Firefighters arrived at the scene within three minutes, he said, and upon arrival faced "heavy fire and heat conditions."

"There was a lot of fire, it was very hot," Kemins said at the scene. "There was a lot of smoke. It took us an hour to bring it under control."

Kemins said that firefighters from Point Lookout-Lido, Island Park and Oceanside fire departments assisted. In total, 70 firefighters were on scene, he said. Two firefighters were injured and a cat and dog were lost in the blaze.

Kemins said that the fire started on the first floor of the two-floor home, and said that the exact cause of the fire is unknown.

"It is undetermined as of now," he said. "We're waiting for the Nassau County Fire Marshall to investigate."

Long Beach Fire Chief Richard Corbett was unavailable for comment. The Herald will update this story as more information becomes available.