Warehouse spared from Lynbrook truck fire

Sprinklers activated in a Lynbrook warehouse on Merrick Road helped quell a fire late last Thursday.

Lynbrook Fire Department firefighters responded to an automatic alarm at a wholesale distribution warehouse at 96 Merrick Rd. opposite Charles Street at 11:38 p.m., Dec. 29 and found smoke coming from the roof of the 28,000-square-foot building. 

Once firefighters gained entry into the warehouse it was determined that one of the warehouse trucks in one of the two garages off the side parking lot was on fire. The sprinkler system had greatly knocked down the fire before firefighters extinguished the remaining flames. The engine and cab of the truck was destroyed.

The fire was contained to the truck and did not extend into the warehouse which had floor to ceiling shelves stacked with products all boxed in cardboard. 

“If not for the sprinkler system knocking down the fire in the truck, we would have been faced with a major fire at this warehouse due the amount of flammable material inside,” said Lynbrook Chief of Department Chris Kelly. “We appreciate the support and assistance from our neighboring departments.”

The Frankel and Frankel Corporation warehouse, a health and beauty wholesaler, stretches from Merrick Road to Rocklyn Avenue. The one-story building was constructed in 1961.

Firefighters were notified by FIRECOM of a waterflow alarm at the warehouse indicating the water sprinkler system had been activated. 

Lynbrook’s Third Assistant Chief Clayton Murphy was on the scene in less than two minutes and saw heavy smoke coming from the roof of the building.

Kelly, enroute and hearing from Assistant Chief Murphy of the heavy smoke condition, requested through FIRECOM an immediate mutual aid response from the Rockville Centre Fire Department for a ladder to the scene. 

Kelly broadcast a ‘Signal 10’, the code for a working fire, which set into motion an automatic mutual aid response from other neighboring departments. 

Lynbrook’s Engine Company 1 was first on the scene and hooked up to the hydrant in front of the building. Truck Company’s bucket truck entered the warehouse parking lot and put its ladder to the roof. Engine Company stretched two hose lines from the truck to a side door on Merrick Road after forcing it open, as well as an inside roll-down door into a garage area. 

Truck Company used power saws to cut into the double lined roll-up garage doors to get into the garage from the parking lot. Another roll-top door was cut open in the rear of the building on Rocklyn Avenue. 

The department’s Floodlight Unit’s Command Post was put into operation and coordinated the transmission of radio communications between the Chief of Department with FIRECOM and the fire units at the scene.

Mutual aid was also received from the Malverne, East Rockaway, Valley Stream, and Elmont which all sent ladder trucks to the scene. The ladders were positioned both on Merrick Road and Rocklyn Avenue. Additional engine companies from those departments and Oceanside stood-by at the Earle Avenue firehouse to cover other fire calls in Lynbrook. 

Firefighters had previously been called to that same warehouse for a waterflow alarm on Christmas morning at 3:08 a.m. but firefighters found that the system had not actually activated and there was no fire or waterflow. The call was considered unfounded.

The Nassau County Fire Marshal sent investigators to the scene to conduct a routine investigation. Firefighters were at the scene for nearly 90 minutes. There were no injuries. 

— Contributed by Steve Grogan