A house on Edwards Place was damaged by fire on Thanksgiving. The Valley Stream Fire Department responded to the scene after receiving a call for smoke in the basement.
An elderly blind person was home at the time and escaped safely. Valley Stream Fire Chief Joseph Fernandez said, however, they were not aware the resident made it out OK until after they had been searching for about 20 minutes. He stressed the importance of having a central meeting place when there is a fire.
Fernandez said the home is owned by the resident's brother and sister. It is located at the corner of Edwards and Fritchie Place.
About 65 firefighters from Valley Stream and Elmont responded to the scene, and it took about an hour to bring the fire under control. Fernandez said that based on the significant amount of damage to the basement, the fire had been burning for a while before the department was called. "The basement's gutted," he said.
He said flames started to spread to the first floor, burning a hole between the kitchen and living room, and also spread up the walls toward the second floor. The staircase leading down to the basement also partially burned away.
One firefighter was taken to Franklin Hospital for smoke inhalation where he was treated and released.
Fernandez said the cause of the fire appears to be electrical, but the Nassau County Fire Marshal's office is still investigating. He said it does not appear to be suspicious.
Firefighters remained on the scene until about 2:30 a.m. Friday morning. Trucks from Malverne, Hewlett and Woodmere provided standby coverage for Valley Stream.
Fernandez said this was the second year in a row Valley Stream has had a house fire on Thanksgiving. Last year, firefighters battled a late-night blaze on Green Street.
Another fire Friday
The fire department also responded to a basement fire in the Mill Brook section of Valley Stream on Friday afternoon. The house at 17 Kalmia Lane suffered minor damage.
Fernandez said the homeowner was in the basement welding, which touched off the blaze. He said some wood beams and paneling burned, estimating damage at a few thousand dollars.
Because the fire department was notified right away, he said, they were able to contain the blaze quickly and prevent it from spreading to the rest of the house. According to Fernandez, it took 40 firefighters less than a half-hour to put out the fire. He added that the home is still livable.
