By Kate E. Salute
The West Hempstead Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at a Gulf station on the corner of Westminster Avenue and Hempstead Turnpike in West Hempstead at approximately 6:40 p.m. on Dec. 6. Vincent McManus, Nassau County fire marshal said, ³What happened there is that they had a large SUV on a lift and they were, I think, changing the fuel pump in the vehicle, and that required them to take the fuel tank out of the vehicle, because it¹s my understanding that the fuel pump sits on top of the tank, so in order to change that particular part, you have to drop the fuel tank from the vehicle. They were in the process of doing that when fuel from the fuel tank spilled onto the shop floor, and we believe that fuel on the floor was ignited by a kerosene heater that was nearby. The lift itself collapsed and the car fell. [The mechanics and one of their girlfriends] are lucky to be alive, to be honest with you.²
McManus continued, ³The kerosene heater is not permitted [in New York state], so [the station was] cited with a warning document, which means that that type of situation cannot occur again, or else they would get an appearance ticket. If for whatever reason they were to ignore that order, then there are fines associated with it up to about $1,000. But as long as the violation is corrected immediately and the appliance is moved out of that premise and is not used again, then it¹s not a problem.²
Kerosene heaters are dangerous for two reasons, McManus explained, ³The primary reason it is not allowed is because it is considered an unvented appliance, which means that it¹s a carbon monoxide hazard,² he said. ³And the secondary hazard is that it has an open flame, so it¹s a source of ignition, and that¹s what happened here: The vapors from the gasoline were ignited by the flame from the kerosene heater. As it gets colder now, we expect to see more of this, unfortunately.²
WHFD chief Ken Brohn reported that mutual aid was provided by ³Hempstead, Franklin Square, Elmont, Garden City and Uniondale while Lakeview provided standby. There were about 100 firefighters and 15 trucks at this particular fire,² Brohn said, ³and there were no injuries. ³
³St. Thomas Elementary [next door] was not evacuated, though there was a concern, so some of the teachers in the school moved children to the opposite side of the building on their own,² Brohn continued. ³We had a great amount of help from the police department and the auxiliary police department, which was excellent. It was definitely a smooth operation given the tremendous fire and the potential danger. We got the fire under control very quickly, in about 20 minutes.²
McManus also mentioned the occurrence at West Hempstead High School. ³A portable heater ‹ I don¹t know what type; it could have been electric ‹ was too close to some coats and other things that were hanging in an office and were ignited. We didn¹t do an actual investigation here. We weren¹t asked to. I just was aware of the call.²
The Lakeview Fire Department responded to the high school¹s alarm, which sounded at 9:43 a.m. Dec. 5, LFD Chief Frank Damiano Jr. said. ³The fire was in the rear office of the first floor, a custodial storage closet,² Damiano explained. ³There were no injuries and minimal damage. There is not believed to be any suspicious activity.²
The students and faculty put their fire drills to work, evacuating the building as soon as the alarm sounded and making way for the LFD, one engine from the WHFD and one ladder from the Malverne Fire Department, Damiano said.
Comments about this story? KSalute@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 205.
