L.B. firefighters honored for battling Lido Beach blaze

The City Council honored four Long Beach firefighters on Aug. 7 for their “courage and dedication” after they battled a house fire in Lido Beach last month.

Firefighters Nick Costantakos, Antonio “Chino” Cuevas, Sam Pinto, and Hadrick Ray were among 150 firefighters who rushed to an early morning fire on July 27 that destroyed a home on Blackheath Road, an “intense” blaze in which they sustained minor burns and injuries.

Cuevas, an assistant chief, told the Herald last month the residents of the home were on vacation in Florida at the time. Firefighters were faced with a house that was completely engulfed in flames — the first floor was completely on fire, and parts of the second floor had already burned through the roof. Firefighters stretched two hose lines into the front door of the home and searched for any trapped victims.

“Flames were blowing out of every window,” Cuevas said after the blaze. “It was a fire fight. Visibility was zero. We had a floor to ceiling fire in every room. But our guys did an amazing job in knocking the fire down.”