Initiation by fire

Brush ignites on chiefs first day
      It was some first day for newly sworn in Fire Chief Gary Kondor.
      Less than 24 hours into his tenure, a raging brush fire swept across the wooded reservoir along Peninsula Boulevard near Hempstead Lake State Park on Wednesday, April 18.
      Kondor said stopping the fire before it could reach the park was the main concern. Who knows which way it was going to go, he said.
      While the cause of the fire remains a mystery, the department believes it began in the Lakeview portion of the reservoir in the afternoon and winds carried it into Rockville Centre.
      By the time the fire was put out in the early evening, a dozen departments had responded to the call. Helicopters from the New York State Police Department even dumped water on the scene.
      Kondor said that he has seen fires in the reservoir before but never as big as last week's.
      Village officials are counting themselves very fortunate after learning that the fire came within five feet of the soccer fields. Our fire chiefs did a good job of protecting the fields, said Village Administrator Anthony Canellieri. There's no damage at all.
      Peninsula was backed up for miles during Wednesday's rush hour. However, ambulances had no trouble reaching Mercy Medical Centre, which was right near the heart of the fire department's efforts, a spokesperson for the hospital reported.
      Responding fire departments included Rockville Centre, Malverne, Lakeview, Lynbrook, West Hempstead, South Hempstead, Oceanside, Valley Stream and the Nassau County Police Department.
      Kondor said the effort made by the responding fire fighters was outstanding. I couldn't ask for any better performance.
      With his initiation by fire over, Kondor is looking forward to settling into his new job.