By: Robert Remler
Flames lighted the cold, small hours of the morning last Thursday, when firefighters responded to a resident's plea for help. Valley Stream firefighters' beepers blared at 2:09 A.M. March 8 for a reported house fire at 152 Williams Street.
Chief of Department James Murphy and his volunteers found flames coming out of the basement window of the single-family, two-story home. The fire appeared to be on the verge of spreading to the first floor., said Walter Welner, a fire department official at the scene..
"After a search of the home for trapped occupants, firefighters attacked the fire from the basement, first floor and exterior. The severity of the fire caused the first floor to collapse into the basement above the heating unit," Welner said.
The Fire Marshal's preliminary investigation indicated that the boiler was the source of the fire.
With the fire under control and mop up operations finished, firefighters were dismissed from the scene at 5:09 a.m..
Assistant Chief Rob Petry said there was no alarm system in the house.
There were no reported injuries.
Petry advised that homeowners have their boilers serviced regularly to make certain they are in good operating condition. "Another important fact is to make sure you have smoke detectors on every floor of your house and you change the batteries frequently."
The Woodmere and Elmont fire departments provided mutual aid at the fire, and Lynbrook and Hewlett were asked to cover the rest of the community while Valley Stream was at the William Street scene.
