By JOSEPH KELLARD
The blaze broke out at Novak Auto Corps, 4 Hampton Road in the industrial area of Oceanside, at about 2:15 p.m. on April 19, and spread across the yard, destroying more than 12 cars, a shop, an office and several storage buildings. No injuries were reported.
Owner Ken Novak said he was at his business when the fire started in the garage area, and was one of three people who safely evacuated. "We basically saw some smoke in the back of the building, grabbed some fire extinguishers and called the fire department," Novak said. "By the time we started hitting it with the extinguishers it just erupted into flames."
Novak said that the wind spread the fire, filling the office with smoke and making it impossible for him to rescue anything from his office. "Pretty much everything was lost, but no one got hurt," he said.
As many as 250 firefighters on 21 trucks from more than 10 local fire departments - including Oceanside, Island Park, Long Beach, Baldwin, East Rockaway, Point Lookout and Atlantic Beach - battled the blaze for more than six hours before extinguishing it. The Coast Guard and the Town of Hempstead Bay Constables were among the units that sent boats to the scene.
While the Oceanside Fire Department did not return calls for comment on Monday, Vincent McManus, division supervisor for the Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office, said that during the cleanup of the property, firefighters found what they suspected were hand grenades. While the county Arson and Bomb Squad could not be reached at press time, McManus said, "They were describing it as a grenade, but I don't know if that technically was what it was. I know he had legal ammunition on the property and some of that was discovered during the overhaul or cleanup phase, and the Arson and Bomb Squad took it away without incident."
Novak said that the grenades were novelty items that can be bought at any stationery store. "What they had found was de-activated hand grenades that say, 'Take a number,'" he said. "A firefighter saw a couple of those on our desks and thought they were hand grenades and freaked out. But they were just novelty items."
Among the many departments assisting Oceanside were Freeport and Wantagh, which both sent boats to the area to fight the fire from a nearby channel. "Several of the engines at the scene were actually drawing water from Hog Isle Channel because of the limited water supply in that area," McManus said. "When there were no more hydrants to use, they drafted water out of the channel."
On Monday, McManus said that the cause of the fire was still undetermined but did not appear to be suspicious. "We're looking into the possibility that it may have involved a faulty electric cord," he said.
Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
