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Fair Fire rips through Clubhouse Road home in Merrick
Fire tore through a waterfront home at Clubhouse and Alexis roads in south Merrick around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night. The blaze, which raged across the second story of the home, brought fire volunteers from across the South Shore.
It was a dark, smoky scene as dozens of firefighters lined up in the street preparing to battle the fire. Nearly 15 engines and ambulances extended along the length of Alexis Road, and up and down Clubhouse Road.
The billow of flames, fueled by offshore winds, swirled into the sky and spread embers into nearby yards. The blaze threatened the exterior extensions of two neighboring homes, but volunteers quelled the fire before it could spread.
"The volunteer firefighters made an aggressive attempt to extinguish the fire from the inside," read a post on Merrick Fire Department's Empire Hose Co. 3's Facebook page. "However, due to structural instability caused by the fire, firefighters were ordered by the chief to back out of the house." Eventually, crews were able to extinguish the blaze.
According to a witness, the fire started in the first-floor kitchen and spread to the two-story deck in the backyard, setting the second floor ablaze.
"I've never seen a fire spread so quick, so fast," said Craig Allen, who lives across the street.
Dozens of neighbors watched from stoops and sidewalks. Members of the Merrick Fire Department's Ladies Auxiliary as well as junior firefighters provided water bottles and Powerade to volunteers as they exited the home.
An hour after the call came in, crews were still extinguishing small pockets of fire from inside the house.
Volunteers from MFD were the first on the scene. They were assisted by members of the Freeport, Roosevelt, North Merrick, North Bellmore, Bellmore and East Meadow fire departments.
"No injuries were reported, and the Nassau County Fire Marshall is investigating to determine the cause of the fire," Empire Hose Co. 3 reported.
Additional photos can be viewed at https://www.k2mphotography.com/.
