Early morning blaze destroys RVC home

Firefighters from Rockville Centre and surrounding towns spent hours battling a blaze at 75 S. Marion Place last Saturday. The fire started in the basement in the early morning hours and quickly spread through the old home. Though it was destroyed, there was only one minor injury.

Courtesy Karl Garrett

Firefighters from Rockville Centre and many neighboring towns battled the blaze for hours.

Courtesy Bill Bennett

The Marion Avenue house was completely destroyed by the blaze.

Courtesy Ed Oppenheimer/RVCFD

It took more than two hours to get the fire under control, and another five to make sure it was completely extinguished.

Courtesy Bill Bennett

The fire grew rapidly, quickly consuming the entirety of the 85-year-old home.

Courtesy Ed Oppenheimer/RVCFD

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Volunteer firefighters of the Rockville Centre Fire Department battled a ferocious house fire for nearly eight hours, starting early in the morning on Nov 14. The fire caused the 85-year-old house at 75 South Marion Place to suffer a structural collapse of the porch and the second floor. The residents were not at home during the fire and no one was severely hurt.

The RVCFD first got the call at 4:39 a.m. Upon arrival, Chief Robert Seaman found the home fully involved with fire appearing in every window. A neighbor who had tried to get inside the house to alert the homeowners, but was unable to do so due to the intensity of the fire, incurred minor injuries. The home owner’s son, who also lives in the village, informed the Chief that his parents were away in the city and there were no other occupants in the home.

“The fire was brought under control at approximately 7 a.m.,” Seaman said. “However, operations continued until noon to assure that all hot spots, particularly in the areas of the collapses, were completely extinguished.” Chief Seaman praised the work of the 150 volunteer firefighters, including 75 of RVCFD, and thanked the mutual aid fire departments who assisted at the scene, including Baldwin, East Rockaway, Lynbrook, Malverne and Oceanside. The chief also thanked the Lakeview and Island Park fire departments who served as ‘stand-by’ in Rockville Centre in the event of a second alarm.

The fire appears to have started in the basement, but the cause is being investigated by the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office, with assistance from Rockville Centre’s Office of Fire Prevention under the direction of Chief Fire Inspector Peter Klugewicz.