By Mike Caputo
Parise called in the fire at about 7:45 a.m., mobilizing units that came not only from Inwood, but from Lawrence-Cedarhurst, Woodmere, Meadowmere Park and Long Beach as well.
Although the fire was extinguished within 20 minutes, 24 of the beach club's cabanas were destroyed. Parise attributed the damage to the wood construction of the cabanas, which easily catch fire, and spread it as well. "We had water immediately on the fire ...," said Parise. "Those cabanas are obviously all wood and have several layers of paint. Old wood, a lot of paint and a petroleum roof [lead to] a lot of fire damage."
Because the structures are not typically used overnight, there were no people inside the cabanas of Silver Point's Court 3 and Court 4, and no injuries were reported. According to Parise, each court has 26 cabanas, and 12 cabanas in each court were destroyed.
Firefighters faced a challenge because of the distance between the burning cabanas and the nearest fire hydrant, Parise said. He explained that responders stretched a hose to the Silver Point snack bar near the club's office, which was 700 to 800 feet from the cabanas. After putting out the fire, crews worked in the area for another two hours, securing the scene.
The blaze is being investigated by the Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office.
According to a clerk at the private club, at 2189 Atlantic Boulevard in Atlantic Beach, Silver Point remains open for business. A call for comment had not been returned as the Herald went to press.
Comments? MCaputo@liherald.com or
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