Fireworks ignite during Franklin Square house fire

A man was arrested in Franklin Square for allegedly storing fireworks that caused a fire at a home on Morton Avenue March 19.

Nassau County Police Department’s Arson Bomb Squad responded to a fire at a home on Morton Avenue where a garage was engulfed in flames Tuesday afternoon.

The fire spread to the fence of another Morton Avenue home and the garage of a Hewlett Street home. During the fire, fireworks ignited in the garage of the Morton Avenue house it originated from. The fireworks landed on a couch in the living room of the Morton Avenue house the fire originated at and started a fire within the home.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. No injuries have been reported.

Louis Distefano, 57, of Morton Avenue in Franklin Square, was charged with alleged unlawful storage of explosives and unlawful possession of explosives without licenses and certificates. He was arraigned on March 20 in Hempstead First District Court.

The Franklin Square and Munson Fire Department, Arson Bomb Squad, Nassau County Fire Marshall and Town of Hempstead Building Department all responded to the scene.