Fire rips through Harbor home

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Wantagh Fire Department officials said that 2017 got off to a rough start for a Seaford Harbor homeowner awakened by smoke in her bedroom just after 5 a.m. on New Year’s Day. While an electrical fire severely damaged sections of her home, the resident only sustained minor injuries. 

Kevin Regan, Wantagh’s public information officer, said firefighters arrived at the scene of the blaze just after 5 a.m. on the holiday. Third Assistant Chief Tom Bloomfield quickly found that the first floor was full of smoke, he added, prompting him to call even more firefighters. 

Jim Bloomfield, the chief of the department, commanded volunteers from Engine 3 to secure a hose to the nearest hydrant to extinguish the fire and confine it to a bedroom.  A crew from Engines 5 and 1 stretched a second hose line while Ladder 1 team members searched and ventilated the home. Regan noted that 75 fire and emergency medical service personnel responded to the blaze; five Engines, two truck companies, a heavy rescue squad and three ambulances were all on site.  

Wantagh volunteers put out the fire in about one hour. Officials from the Nassau County Fire Marshall’s Office later determined that the blaze might have started around a space heater in the bedroom.  

The fire caused extensive damage to the bedroom and kitchen, Regan said. No firefighters were hurt. 

The homeowner suffered slight smoke inhalation because she went back into the home a second time to get her dogs, Regan said. “She thought she was going to pass out because the smoke was so intense,” he explained. “Although this is never recommended, she was fortunate that she was not seriously injured.”