By Anthony Rifilato
The fire occurred early Saturday morning at 1481 Woodside Ave., on the corner of Schuman Place. Luckily, no one was home at the time.
"The house is [over] 100 years old," said Baldwin Fire Department Chief Doug Weidman, who arrived on the scene after a volunteer fireman witnessed the blaze at around 2 a.m. and called in the emergency. Weidman said old steel beams in the home succumbed to the heat and caused the roof to collapse as firefighters battled the inferno. "The roof is sitting on the first floor," said Weidman.
More than 85 Baldwin firefighters raced to the scene, with additional aid from Oceanside and Freeport. Two firefighters sustained injuries and were taken to Nassau University Medical Center and South Nassau Communities Hospital. LIPA workers arrived to cut off power to the home, and Nassau County Police were on the scene to assist.
Weidman said the major blaze was contained in about 30 minutes, though fire officials explained that it took firefighters four hours to make sure the area was secure and that no nearby homes were in danger. Weidman said the fire is still under investigation.
Homeowner Leroy Williams, who fire department officials said is a Port Authority police officer, was at work at Kennedy Airport at the time and his family wasn't home. The family dog, however, has not been found, neighbors said.
On Monday, Williams spoke with county and private fire investigators as insurance personnel milled around and took photos of the gutted home. An employee of an emergency mobile-home company also was on hand assessing the situation.
Williams was not available for comment, though neighbors said he was new to the neighborhood, and added that he was devastated to arrive home from work early Saturday morning and find his home destroyed.
"It was a horrible thing, especially given the holiday," said Williams' next-door neighbor at 1471 Woodside Ave., who didn't want her name used. The neighbor said Williams' teenage daughter is friends with her daughter, and said she grew concerned when she saw the flames from her home. "The flames were pretty high. We were very concerned," she said.
Jeff Leon also lives next door to Williams, on Schuman Place, and said his home, where he lives with his wife and three children, was damaged by the blaze. "I brought everyone outside," Leon said. "I was on my computer and heard a loud boom."
Leon explained that at first, he thought his boiler downstairs had exploded, but as soon as he gathered up his family to flee, police officers were banging on his door and telling him to get out.
"We just watched the blaze," he said. "We were outside for four or five hours."
After the flames were out, Leon brought his family back inside, cracked open all the windows and aired out his home. "All of the heat hit my kids' bedroom," he said.
As Williams spoke to investigators on Monday, a mailman walked to the corner, looking taken aback by the ruins. The front door was off its hinges and the roof was visible from the hollowed-out front windows. Williams walked over to him, laughed a little, then took his mail.
