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A Few Clouds Boat fire extinguished in Oceanside
East Rockaway's Marine 1 called out on first rescue
East Rockaway Fire Department’s new rescue boat, Marine 1, was called out to assist with an Oceanside boat fire last Saturday.
On July 16, The Oceanside Fire Department responded to a boat fire on Murdock Avenue. According to the OFD, the fire started on a small boat moored at the dock of a Murdock Avenue home around 3:45 p.m. The fire spread to a second boat and also damaged a third, as well as the dock. No one was injured.
Difficulty arose when the fire burned through the rope holding it to the dock and started to drift to the other side of the channel. The fire department managed to get it under control, however, and extinguish the fire in approximately a half hour. The department used water along with its foam unit, which an OFD spokesman said is typical for boat fires.
Fires on the water can be especially difficult, according to East Rockaway Fire Chief Peter Chojnacki, who said that in this case, the pontoon set the boat afire, and the ropes anchoring the boat to the dock were also burned through, allowing the boat to drift across the canal — and luckily, in this case, to the dead end of the canal. “Also, the water pressure can force a boat away from the dock,” Chojnacki said. “It’s like trying to hit a moving target.”
East Rockaway ambulance, along with divers, also stood by at the scene.
The East Rockaway Fire Department was called to a fire in Bay Park during the July 4th holiday weekend. Upon arrival in mid-afternoon on July 3, firefighters found that the Port-A-John outside of the recreation building outside had almost completely melted, and damaged had been done to the front doors and the upper roof of the building. The portable bathrooms may have been there because of some renovations going on in the county-owed rec building.
“Thers used to be park rangers and security at the park,” said Rich Brennan, president of the Bay Park Civic Association. “Now it’s open to anyone who wants to go in there ... there is more violence and vandelaism. It’s got the residents concerned. If we pay more, we should get some security.”
The fire is still under investigation.
