Thursday, October 1, 2026
Long Beach firefighters battled a house fire on Pennsylvania Avenue on Monday, where they faced heavy smoke conditions in a vacant home that was under construction.
No injuries were reported, according to Fire Chief Scott Kemins. Kemins said the call for a fire at 73 Pennsylvania Ave. came in at 1:13 p.m. Firefighters raced to the scene, Kemins said, and took immediate action to tame the blaze.
“Units were on the scene within three minutes,” Kemins said, noting that there were 12 fire vehicles and 75 firefighters on the scene, including firefighters from the Island Park and Lawrence/Cedarhurst fire departments, who were on site to assist.
“It took approximately a half hour to put the fire out,” he said.
Kemins explained that the fire started on the ground floor of the two-story home, and extended up through a wall to the second floor. He said there was smoke and water damage to the house. Kemins said the fire does not appear to be suspicious and is under investigation by the Nassau County Fire Marshal.
“The house was vacant. It was unoccupied,” he said. “It’s still under construction.”
Angela Landi, a resident at 74 Pennsylvania Ave., had just returned home from shopping when she learned about the fire.
“I thought it was my house,” Landi said, pointing out the fire trucks and vehicles at the scene. “I feel very bad for the builders. It’s a shame.”
Charles Mayeri, a Great Neck resident and president of Summit Development and Management, the construction company that owns and built the house, said he was notified at around 1:30 p.m.
“I was surprised. I rushed over here,” said Mayeri. “There was smoke coming from the second floor. [The firefighters] got to it right away.”
Emanuel Mayeri, Charles’ father and business partner, said he wanted an answer as to why the fire started, but was grateful that no one was harmed.
“I don’t know what happened,” Emanuel said, noting the construction of the home, which is for sale, was nearly complete. “I want to know why this happened. [But] I am glad no one was hurt.”
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