Weekend Commercial St. fire destroys ambulance facility

More than two dozen fire departments responded to a fire Saturday morning that left a key ambulance facility in ruins.

EAS Ambulance Company in Freeport suffered a massive fire on Commercial Street on April 1, prompting an investigation by the Arson Bomb Squad. The fire, which was reported to the Freeport Police, had already engulfed the building by the time the emergency personnel arrived.

The Freeport Fire department, along with 26 other fire departments and 150 fire personnel, responded to the call and worked to extinguish the flames.

The Fire Department initially responded to an alarm at 11:09 a.m., along with another call reporting vehicles on fire inside a building on Commercial Street. The situation escalated quickly, and numerous mutual aid departments and agencies responded to assist at what ultimately turned into a five-alarm fire.

When the emergency responders arrived at the scene, the building was consumed by the fire and had even partially collapsed.

The blaze caused substantial damage, and two Freeport firefighters and a Northwell medical technician suffered from smoke inhalation. They were transported to a nearby hospital.

When the emergency responders arrived at the scene, the building was completely consumed by the fire and had even partially collapsed.

The Nassau County fire marshal’s Office took over the scene after the incident and began an investigation.

According to James Hickman, Nassau County’s Assistant Chief Fire Marshal, the fire started in an ambulance as a single vehicle fire and then spread to the other ambulances. The building housed oxygen cylinders and acetylene cylinders,. The fire ended up damaging about 20 or so ambulances.

“The fire initially started in one ambulance as a single vehicle fire, but it quickly spread to the other ambulances in the area,” Hickman said. “The ambulances were carrying oxygen cylinders and acetylene cylinders, which added to the overall fuel load of the fire and made it even more intense. This is what caused the large fire that we all witnessed.”

The Department of Environmental Conservation was promptly informed of the incident as standard protocol dictates. An inspection of the site will be conducted to determine whether there was any adverse impact on the environment.

“It’s a normal route for us to take, in the event of a gasoline spill or any such incidents, we inform the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation when there’s a gasoline spill or anything like that happens,” Hickman said. “Their primary concern is that there isn’t any potential harm to the environment caused by the incident. Once that’s done, they will have no further involvement. Our investigation, for now, is complete.”

The loss of these ambulance vehicles impacts the EAS Ambulance Company, which is a provider in New York City and has a maintenance facility in Freeport. Although they are not a provider for emergency services in Nassau County, it would have an impact on the New York City 911 service. The fire incident is not expected to affect the provision of emergency ambulance services in the area.

The Herald reached out to EAS Ambulance Company in Freeport where they had no comment on the incident.

The local authorities have apologized for the traffic inconveniences caused by the fire and expressed their gratitude to everyone who responded to assist.

“I would personally like to thank the men and women of the Freeport Fire Department, Police Department, and all assisting agencies and departments that helped keep our residents safe at the fire on Commercial Street today,” Mayor Robert Kennedy said. “Your dedication to this Village is second to none. Thank you!”