By:Walter Weltner
An early-morning fire started by an electric heater too close to home furnishings did serious damage to a home at 74 North Terrace Place on March 19. The fire was reported to Nassau County's Fire Command Center at 5:55 a.m. and was immediately transmitted to Valley Stream Fire Department members via their pagers.
Once they arrived at the blaze, firefighters were confronted with flames coming from the front and side windows on the first floor and the side windows on the second floor of the family's Cape Cod home.
While some firefighters made an aggressive interior attack on the fire, others sprayed water on an adjacent home that was threatened by the flames. The fire was brought under control in about an hour, but overhaul and a fire marshal's investigation kept the cold and weary firefighters at the scene until 9 a.m. There were no reported injuries to the occupants of the home or the firefighters, but two family cats perished in the fire.
The Lynbrook, Elmont, Hewlett and Woodmere fire departments provided mutual aid. Chief Robert Petry, the incident commander at the scene, praised the firefighters for their brave actions in difficult weather. "People must be extremely vigilant in the connection and placement of any type of portable heater," Petry said. "While they provide comfort to the homeowner, they are a serious fire hazard if used improperly. [Recommended] distances between the heater and surrounding surfaces must be adhered to, and electric extension cords must be of the proper size, or the end result is what we experienced at this fire."
