Firefighters respond to blaze at South Shore Collision

The fire caused heavier-than-usual traffic last Friday morning for southbound travelers on the Barnum Island Bridge.

Ben Strack/Herald

Congestion around the Barnum Island Bridge was heavier than normal on May 5 as fire trucks responding to a blaze at South Shore Collision blocked a lane of traffic.

A Nassau County ambulance passing by the Island Park auto body shop called in the fire just after 8:30 a.m., according to Anthony D’Esposito, Town of Hempstead Councilman and a former chief for the Island Park Fire Department, who was on the scene.

Fire units from Island Park, Long Beach, Oceanside, Baldwin and Point Lookout responded to the scene, where a fire had started in the businesses’ spray booth, D’Esposito said. The flames, which damaged the enclosed area and the roof, were extinguished, as departments were on site for more than an hour as rain poured down.

One person was transported to Nassau University Medical Center with a non-life-threatening injury, he added. Another refused medical attention at the scene.

All operations were under the control of First Assistant Chief Michael Whalen. The Nassau County Fire Marshal’s office is investigating the fire.

South Shore Collision did not respond to the Herald’s requests for comment.