By JEFF LIPTON
The fire broke out at the two-family rental home at 202 Elizabeth Ave., at about 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 14. A passerby saw the smoke billowing from the building and apparently alerted its tenants to leave, said Supervisor Vincent McManus of the Nassau County Fire Marshal¹s Office.
The residents managed to safely evacuate and no one was reported injured, fire officials said.
The fire was believed to have started outside the building in the left corner of the home near some construction debris, said McManus, who added the building was undergoing renovations at the time.
The fire spread from the exterior and traveled up the vinyl siding to the second-floor of the building, which sustained ³moderate² damage, he said.
Authorities said it was too early to tell if the fire was suspicious, but both the Fire Marshal¹s Office and the Nassau County Police Department¹s Arson/Bomb Squad are investigating.
The building is rented to two families by a landlord who does not live on site, officials said.
The Oceanside Fire Department responded to the blaze with about 60 firefighters and brought it under control in minutes.
McManus said the building is ³uninhabitable,² which is why the two families living there were relocated to a local motel by the American Red Cross/Nassau County.
Red Cross spokesman Sam Kille said the three adults and two children were provided with temporary shelter at no expense to them. They were given three nights in two rooms at the motel and the Red Cross picked up the $690 tab for that, said Kille, who added that the agency also provided $165 for food, diapers and baby formula because one of those relocated is a 3-month-old child. In addition, the Red Cross provided $650 in clothing and $450 for bedding and linen, for a grand total of $1,955, said Kille.
³A lot of people don¹t even know we do this,² said Kille, who added that last year the Nassau Red Cross helped victims of 79 emergencies, most of them house fires.
One resident of Elizabeth Avenue, who did not want to be identified, said the Aug. 14 fire was the second one in recent weeks, which she said was a little disconcerting.
³I realize that accidents happen, but why is there more than one [fire] in one house within a couple of weeks,² she said. ³That¹s just a little too disturbing.²
McManus confirmed that the fires took place about three weeks apart and that residents should not jump to any conclusions until the investigation is completed.
³We¹re looking at everything in total,² McManus said.
Long Island Power Authority responded to disconnect the electricity to the Elizabeth Avenue home and KeySpan disconnected the gas.
Comments about this story? Jlipton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
