Story & photos by  Ex Captain Steven Grogan

One firefighter was injured in an early morning house fire friday in Lynbrook.Lynbrook Vamps were called out at 7:01 AM on September 28th for a reported fire at 26 Leaman Place, off Wright Avenue and opposite Greis Park.

Chief Anthony DeCarlo arrived within minutes and broadcast "smoke showing" to the responding fire units as he pulled into the dead-end street.   Other arriving assistant fire chiefs found a fire burning in the basement of the two story home.   Chief DeCarlo then broadcast a "Signal 10," for a working fire.  The occupants had escaped the burning house before firefighters arrived.   

Tally-Ho Engine Company 3 from Horton Avenue was first on the scene and dropped a hose line at the hydrant on Wright Avenue and laid hose down the  block to the burning home.    Tally-Ho was quickly followed by Truck Company which responded with both their ladder trucks.  As Tally-Ho firefighters stretched a hose line from their engine to the side door of the house, Truck Company members took off the side door which was charred from the fire coming up the basement staircase.   With the side door gone tremendous heat and smoke came up from the basement.   In the meantime, Truck Company was putting their ladder up to the second story.   

Firefighters then moved the hose line down into the burning basement as the fire spread across the basement ceiling in the front half of the house.  At times, with the heavy smoke condition which made visibility almost impossible, and due to the amount of items stored in the basement,  firefighters found it difficult to maneuver the hose line and get at the main-body of fire.  Truck Company helped the situation by taking out the windows to get the smoke out of the building and thereby help the firefighters fighting the fire inside.   

As more manpower arrived a second line was also taken from Tally-Ho as a back-up line to the side door.  Additionally, another line was taken off Tally-Ho by Engine Company which had also arrived.  Their line went into the front door and knocked down the fire that had spread up from the basement into the front and side walls.  Firefighters had to remove the first floor living room wall to make sure the fire had not spread up to the second floor.  Hose Company provided an additional hose line from the hydrant to Tally-Ho and also helped man the third line in the front door. 

With the fire burning, Chief DeCarlo requested mutual aid response from the neighboring fire departments.  Ladders and engines from Rockville Centre, East Rockaway, Malverne, Lakeview and Valley Stream Fire Departments either came to the scene or stood-by at Lynbrook firehouses to cover any additional alarms.   Those neighboring ladder companies assisted with the overhaul and gave relief to Lynbrook's firefighters.  Other Lynbrook companies also assisted and backed-up hose lines.  Lynbrook's Medical Company EMT's treated one Lynbrook firefighters who received an eye injury.  The firefighter was transported to the hospital by the Lakeview FD ambulance. 

The fire was brought under control in about 45 minutes but firefighters were at the scene for another 90 minutes overhauling the walls and pulling burnt and damaged items from the house.   The Nassau County Fire Marshal and the Arson Squad responded and conducted an investigation after the fire was extinguished.  They determined the fire was not suspicious.    Due to electrical wiring found in the area of the fire it may have been caused by an electrical problem.    

Chief DeCarlo said firefighters "did a great job at getting to the fire in the basement which is one of the most dangerous and most difficult to fight."  He explained that those fires are difficult because the firefighters have to go down into the basement while the heat, smoke, and fire are rising.  "The staircase is like a chimney pushing up that heat, smoke, and fire upward." he said.