At 11:49 p.m. Tuesday night, the Freeport Fire Department responded to several 911 calls about several boats being caught on fire at Rick's Marina on East Bedell Street in Freeport. No injuries were reported and the fire was brought under control within 45 minutes.
Under the command of Freeport Fire Chief Christopher Burkart, approximately 75 firefighters from the Freeport, Hempstead, Baldwin, Roosevelt and Merrick fire departments put out the boat fires using firefighting foam, citing the nature of the fire. All three boats were on land and not on water when they were found on fire.
The Nassau County Fire Marshal Hazardous Materials Team and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation were requested to respond to the scene of the fire to mitigate any potential leaking fuel from the boats. No significant fuel runoff was noted by the personnel.
The fire's origins are under investigation by the Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office and the Nassau County Police Department Arson/Bomb Squad.
