Fire damages Valley Stream house

A Melrose Street home was left uninhabitable after a fire last Friday evening, the second year in a row Valley Stream has had a house fire on Thanksgiving weekend.

Valley Stream firefighters were called to 30 W. Melrose St. shortly after 6 p.m. on Nov. 25. Firefighters were on the scene within minutes, fire Chief Joseph Fernandez said. The department's headquarters is located less than two blocks away and firefighters knew the fire was serious before even arriving on the scene. "They saw the flames shooting from the back of the house from the firehouse," he said. "A quick response probably saved the house."

The fire is not suspicious. According to a spokesman from the Nassau County Fire Marshal's office, the cause was electrical. It started in the attic in the back of the house. The roof was being replaced in that area, and there were old shingles and construction materials around the property. However, the fire marshal's office could not say whether or not the blaze was related to the construction.

The fire got into the attic and burned a large hole in the roof, and also heavily damaged the back wall of the attic. Some construction materials on a lower roof also caught fire, which spread to a second floor wall. Using three hose lines, the fire was under control in less than an hour, but firefighters were on scene for more than two hours putting out small pockets of fire in roof and removing smoldering debris.

The fire could have been worse especially because access to the attic was difficult, Fernandez said, but fortunately flames were confined to the back section of the house. "Once it's in the roof, you've got a tough battle," he said.

There was heavy smoke and water damage and some minor fire damage to the second floor, as well. Fernandez estimated the damage at about $80,000.

More than 75 firefighters responded and assistance was provided at the scene by Malverne and Elmont as well as an ambulance from Meadowmere Park. Units from the Hewlett and Woodmere fire departments stood by at the firehouse.

The residents were home at the time and all escaped safely. Fernandez said three adults lived there. One firefighter suffered a shoulder injury and was taken to Franklin Hospital for treatment.

Last year, late on Thanksgiving and into Friday morning, firefighters battled a blaze at a home on Edwards Place.