Long Beach firefighters battle car blaze at Crystal House

Two elderly residents were treated for smoke inhalation and a Long Beach firefighter was taken to a local hospital following a car fire at an East End apartment building Wednesday evening.

According to Long Beach Fire Commissioner Scott Kemins, firefighters responded to a call at 8: 50 p.m. following reports of a car fire in a garage at the Crystal House, a rental building at 630 Shore Road. A resident of the apartment called in the incident, Kemins said, and no one was in the garage when firefighters arrived on scene, where they maneuvered through heavy smoke and heat conditions.

Kemins said the car was parked 200 feet into the back of the garage and about 25 feet to the left, and said it was hard to locate due to the depth of the fire.

“Conditions were extremely smoky and hot,” Kemins said. “There was very limited ventilation.” He added, “We never evacuated the building. [Residents] came out on their own," said Kemins.

The fire, Kemins said, was upgraded to a second alarm fire, and firefighters from surrounding areas either arrived on scene or were on stand by at the West End firehouse in Long Beach, or nearby on Long Beach Boulevard next to the Michael Valente Memorial Long Beach Bridge. Fire departments from Island Park, Point Lookout, Lawrence-Cedarhurst, Inwood, Oceanside, Rockville Centre and Baldwin helped in the effort, Kemins said.

Kemins said that several fire hoses were used in order to battle the blaze, which was brought under control within an hour. Firefighters were on scene for close to two hours, he said.

“They located it and extinguished it,” he said. “It took a while to clear the smoke from the garage.”

Fire Chief Rich Corbett said firefighters used thermal imaging cameras to locate the vehicle, as there was “zero visibility” in the garage. “There was a lot of smoke,” he said. “You’re going down blind. We deployed search ropes as well.”

Kemins said that there was no damage to the structure or to the apartment building, though he said that residents whose car windows were open in the garage will have smoke damage.

Two residents were treated for smoke inhalation and anxiety, and a Long Beach firefighter suffered a leg injury and transported to South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, Kemins said. He was treated and later released that night. Both residents refused to be taken to a hospital, he added.

“They were a little shaken up by the incident,” Kemins said, noting that the owner of the car had told officials of having air conditioner problems with the vehicle, which may be the cause of the fire. “The Nassau County Fire Marshals office is investigating. It doesn’t appear to be suspicious.”

Shannon Koehle contributed to this story. Comments about it? Cengelhardt@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 207.