Valley Stream fire crews close out a very busy month

There’s been no rest for the Valley Stream Volunteer Fire Department these past few weeks. Firefighters have been dispatched all over the village and surrounding communities responding to more than a dozen emergencies both big and small.

On April 20, firefighter crews were called in after a Valley Stream woman drove her car into Valley Van & Sport Utilities on West Merrick Road at around 5 p.m. Footage of the wreckage shows a part of the storefront collapsed into rubble with piles of boxes, damaged front display shelves, and other torn store merchandise sprawled on the floor of the 47,000-square-foot facility.

The damaged wall of the automotive repair and maintenance store has since been boarded up and the store remains open for business. No injuries were reported.

That same day Ladder 345 provided mutual aid to the Woodmere Fire Department in the form of a standby rescue team for fellow firefighters battling a house fire. They were also dispatched on April 21 to provide the same support during another building fire in Woodmere.

On April 30, the department provided relief during a vehicle accident in which a car struck a telephone pole at the intersection of East Merrick Road and Railroad Avenue. The driver was taken to a nearby hospital and listed in critical condition, according to fire officials. Chief of Department Patrick Scanlon oversaw all operations.