Blaze ignites near Bellmore Bagel Café

North Bellmore Fire Department volunteers extinguished a blaze that ignited in the parking lot behind a popular local eatery last weekend.

Two cars parked behind Bellmore Bagel Café, in addition to a fence and local homeowner’s shed, caught fire at about 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 23. The Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause. Local firefighters said they believe the blaze started in the rear parking lot of the building, at 550-552 Jerusalem Ave.

Mark DiRenzo, North Bellmore’s third assistant chief, said the fire marshal’s office is investigating whether the fire started in a car or another place; no criminality is suspected. He added that no one was injured in the blaze, but the cars and Magnolia Road homeowner’s shed and fence were destroyed.

The cars were unoccupied when the fire started. The Magnolia Road residents, whose backyards are adjacent to the lot, were at home at the time of the fire but were unharmed. The flames did not extend past the shed and wooden fence that separates the parking lot and yards.