State trooper spots Wantagh blaze

While patrolling the Wantagh Parkway on Jan. 5, New York State Trooper Michael Kraus spotted a column of black smoke coming from the neighborhood. The source was a home on Waterbury Drive, which Wantagh Fire Department officials said was badly damaged by a large fire. 

Kevin Regan, Wantagh’s public information officer, said Dispatcher Ed Campis was flooded with calls about the blaze around 12:30 p.m. Kraus — who acted as the first responder on the site — was one of the initial callers, he added. 

Kraus located the house and broke the front door down to search the building for people. While the owners weren’t home, Regan noted that Kraus saved their cat from the flames. 

Wantagh firefighters arrived a few minutes after Kraus, using a pre-designed response plan that included the addition of a F.A.S.T. Truck, or Firefighter Assist and Search Team, from the Seaford Fire Department. Additional truck companies were requested from Levittown and Massapequa, Regan said.

Ken Kelly, Wantagh’s second assistant chief, and Third Assistant Chief Tom Blomfield managed the volunteers fighting the fire on the second and first floors, respectively. Regan said that the flames were visible on the left and back side of the house, but representatives from the Nassau County Fire Marshall and Nassau County Police Department’s Arson Unit have yet to determine the origin and cause of the blaze.

Firefighters from Wantagh Engines 8, 7, 5, and 2 worked together to extinguish the fire, with help from volunteers from Bellmore Engine 1, Wantagh Engine 3, Squad 6914 and Rescues 1, 2 and 4. Wantagh Ladder 1 officials also searched and vented the home, Regan noted, and North Massapequa and North Bellmore units covered Wantagh Station 1 while the local teams were on the scene at Waterbury Drive. 

Ex-Captain Tom Brandon, from Wantagh Engine 7, found another cat in the home. Ex-Captain John Licata, also from Engine 7, took the pet out of the burning house. Regan said that both cats were reunited with the homeowners when they arrived at the scene. 

Although the fire was declared under control in less than an hour, Regan said that the house sustained extensive damage and “will be uninhabitable for some time.” As a precaution, he added, Kraus was brought to St. Joseph Hospital in Bethpage for a medical evaluation.