Thursday, October 1, 2026
Long Beach firefighters battled three fires in less than 24 hours on Sunday and Monday, during which several firefighters were injured as they fought to extinguish heavy smoke and flames amid frigid temperatures and icy conditions.
Long Beach Fire Chief Scott Kemins described Sunday as a “cold and busy night” that lasted from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. as firefighters battled two fires at Wilson Avenue and another at Lincoln Boulevard. And if that weren’t enough, firefighters responded to another fire at Farrell Street on Monday evening.
For a brief period, the fires recalled the days of the department’s tumultuous era in the 1970s and 1980s, Kemins said, when Long Beach averaged 50 working fires a year. Last year, the department had seven working house fires, and so far this year, the department has already responded to four.
“The biggest challenge was the cold temperatures and the freezing water causing hazardous ice conditions,” Kemins said, adding that the department hasn’t seen a sequence of working fires occur this close together since the 1980s. “The last time we had two fires at the same time on a Sunday night was in 1982, and it was frigid temperatures then.”
Kemins attributed the frequency of the recent fires in part to the freezing temperatures the area has been experiencing lately, saying that the fires originated in a home’s fireplace or boiler room.
The call for the first fire at a home at 114 Wilson Ave., Kemins said, came in at 10:55 p.m. on Sunday. Fifty firefighters arrived at the scene, including units from the Island Park Fire Department, with Point Lookout and Oceanside firefighters on stand by.
“Upon arrival, there was heavy smoke coming out of the house. It was determined that we had fires in the walls and the attic,” Kemins said.
Two of the home’s tenants, a man and a woman, fled to a neighbor’s home nearby and were not injured, Kemins said. Kemins explained that the fire was under control by 11:35 p.m., noting that it took roughly 40 minutes to extinguish the blaze. He added that the fire originated in the fireplace and the incident was deemed “not suspicious.”
Just minutes later, however, while firefighters were battling the Wilson Avenue blaze, Kemins said, the department received a call at 11:57 p.m. for another house fire at 501 Lincoln Blvd.
Long Beach units immediately rushed to the scene, Kemins said, along with firefighters from Point Lookout/Lido, Oceanside and Island Park.
“The homeowners were alerted by [their] fire alarm,” Kemins said, noting that the two residents were unharmed. Two Long Beach firefighters, however, were injured fighting flames that spread through the windows and into the attic, Kemins said.
“They were treated for shoulder injuries,” he said. “One was struck by debris; one fell on the ice [outside the house].”
Kemins said one firefighter was taken to Long Beach Medical Center, where he was treated and released, while the other firefighter was treated at the scene.
Kemins said the fire appeared to be electrical and was not suspicious. He added that the home sustained extensive water, fire and smoke damage.
Coming on the heels of two serious fires the night before, another fire broke out on Monday night at a home located at 91 Farrell St., where firefighters battled “heavy” flames and smoke, Kemins said. The call, according to Kemins, came in at 6:28 p.m., and approximately 75 firefighters from Long Beach, Island Park and Point Lookout/Lido responded to the scene.
“We found heavy smoke pushing out in front of the house, and heavy fire pushing out the back of the house,” Kemins said.
Kemins said the homeowners, a husband and wife, fled the house unharmed, although he said that there was substantial damage to the home, including heavy fire damage to a portion of the house, as well as smoke and water damage.
“It appears [the fire] started from a storage of combustible materials in the boiler room,” Kemins said.
It took 45 minutes to extinguish the blaze, Kemins said, and one Island Park firefighter cut his hand at the scene and was taken to Long Beach Medical Center, where he was treated and released. Despite several injuries to firefighters and the hazardous conditions, Kemins said that firefighters moved swiftly and effectively to get the job done.
“Our response time was great,” he said, “And everyone did a phenomenal job.”
Anthony Rifilato contributed to this story.
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