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Mostly Cloudy Fire destroys business, home in Valley Stream
An early morning fire destroyed a business and damaged an attached home in Valley Stream on Thursday. The fire broke out shortly after 6 a.m. at 49 N. Central Ave.
The fire gutted Party Boutique, a business in the front section of the building, and also caused damage a two-story house that is connected in the back, which contained two apartments. Tom McAleer, the village's building superintendent, said that the apartments are legal. According to property records, the house dates back to 1894.
All residents escaped the home, but one was transported to a nearby hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.
About 100 firefighters from Valley Stream, Elmont and Malverne responded to the scene, under the direction of Assistant Chief James Ervolino. The fire was under control in about an hour and 15 minutes, and units were on the scene for more than two hours.
Valley Stream Fire Chief John Beck said Party Boutique will need extensive repairs. "The store was completely gutted, front to rear," he said.
The home, he said, also suffered fire damage and is uninhabitable but suffered far less damage than the store.
There was no word on how the fire started, but it appears to have originated in the back of the store. It is not considered suspicious. The Nassau County Fire Marshall was on the scene Thursday.
