A fire broke out early on Memorial Day on Leeward Court, in the Highlands condominiums in uptown Port Jefferson.
The Port Jefferson Fire Department and Port Jefferson Village fire marshal were on the scene of the blaze in the early hours of the morning.
A man was found dead after an explosion and flames at a Long Island home on Wednesday afternoon.
Neighbors of the Minerva Lane house in Centereach called 911 after hearing that explosion and seeing the flames at the residence around 2:40 p.m., according to the Suffolk County Police Department. The Centereach Fire Department later pulled 50-year-old Timothy Oskey from the house after finding him unresponsive, lying on the floor in the basement.
Police said Oskey was pronounced dead at Stony Brook University Hospital.
Firefighters put out the blaze with help from the Ronkonkoma, Farmingville and Selden departments, police said, and detectives from the SCPD’s homicide and arson squads are investigating the incident, but do not believe Oskey’s death was criminal in nature.
A 76-year-old man died last night after being trapped in his burning Dawson Street home.
The Huntington Manor Fire Department and Suffolk County Police Department responded just after 9 p.m. on Thursday to a report of a residential fire in Huntington Station with an occupant trapped inside. During a search of the house, firefighters located Henry Lindemann and removed him from the blazing home.
Police officer Angela Ferrara, a member of the SCPD’s Medical Crisis Action Team, began advanced life support measures, placing an advanced airway for patient ventilation and administering intravenous fluids. Huntington Community First Aid Squad transported Lindemann to Huntington Hospital, and Ferrara and EMTs continued advanced life support on the way, but he died at the hospital a short time later.
The victim’s sister, 68-year-old Diane Lindemann, had been able to escape the burning house. She was treated for smoke inhalation at Huntington Hospital.
About 65 firefighters using eight trucks from the Huntington Manor, Melville and Huntington fire departments battled the blaze, which was controlled within 45 minutes, under the command of Huntington Manor Chief Frank McQuade and supported by Assistant Chiefs Mike DePasquale, Jon Hoffmann and Chuck Brady. Ambulance crews from the Melville, Dix Hills and Halesite fire departments, as well as paramedics from the Town of Huntington Cyanide Response Team, assisted at the scene. The Greenlawn Fire Department handled standby coverage.
The fire is under investigation by the SCPD Arson and Homicide Squads and the Town of Huntington fire marshal, but police said the fire did not appear suspicious.
Three dogs were rescued from a house fire on Saturday, April 16, in Lloyd Harbor.
Just before 8 p.m., Huntington Fire Department volunteers arrived at a house on Clinton Avenue in Huntington, where the fire had spread to the first and second floor, the attic and the detached garage.
Fifty firefighters using eight trucks had the fire under control within an hour, and during that hour three dogs were rescued, according to the department.
All the dogs are doing well, the department said.
Chief Jesse Cukro led the command and operations support of Deputy Chiefs Rob Conroy, Brian Keane and Scott Dodge. There were no injuries reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation by the Suffolk Police Arson Squad and Huntington Town Fire Marshal.
The Cold Spring Harbor, Huntington Manor and Melville Fire Department’s assisted Huntington Fire Department in putting out the flames. The Huntington Community First Aid Squad provided EMS support.
Firefighters worked to extinguish flames that engulfed a landscaping truck in Lloyd Harbor this past Saturday, April 16.
Huntington Fire Department volunteers arrived at 1:45 p.m. at a residence on Lloyd Point Drive, where the truck was parked in the driveway. Crews from two engines battled the blaze, which consumed the truck.
Units were under the command of Chief Jesse Cukro, who was assisted by Deputy Chiefs Rob Conroy and Brian Keane. The Lloyd Harbor Police Department and Town of Huntington Spill Response were also on the scene.
There were no injuries reported.
A post office and a newsroom went up in flames 68 years ago, in a fire that gutted a prominent three-story brick building in downtown Port Jefferson.
According to the village’s historical photo archive, the fire at 202 Main Street broke out on the Tuesday morning of Jan. 20, 1948, and engulfed the U.S. Post Office, the Port Jefferson Record newspaper office, a tailor shop, a law firm, the office of the Suffolk County Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Brookhaven Town Special Sessions Court and five families’ apartments.
Before it burned in the blaze, the building, located on the west side of the street, had been in the village for more than three decades. Construction began in 1911, according to the village archive, and it was finished the following year. The three-story structure was made of brick from the Dyett Sand-Lime Brick Company.
The Port Jefferson Fire Department got help from two neighboring departments to put out the fire, which took into the afternoon.
New law requires all smoke alarms sold in New York to operate on batteries that function for a decade
This time, the batteries are included.
State legislation aiming to address fire safety for New York families was signed into law this week, requiring every smoke alarm sold be equipped with a nonremovable, nonreplaceable battery that powers the device for a minimum of 10 years. State Sen. John Flanagan (R-East Northport) heralded the new law he sponsored as a protective measure against house fires.
In a statement, the senator said the law would help ensure that smoke alarms are operational for a longer period of time and hopefully save lives. Since smoke alarms were first mandated in the state back in 1961, Flanagan said that deaths due to fire have been cut in half, but most deaths due to fire today happen in homes with either no smoke alarm or a nonfunctioning one. Under the new law, Flanagan said, homeowners can be protected from dangerous fires for a longer period of time without constant maintenance.
“Too many families in our state have suffered the loss of a loved one due to a fire emergency, and this new law is aimed at protecting New Yorkers from this pain,” Flanagan said. “The data is crystal clear in how essential smoke detectors are in saving lives.”
Over the operational life of the average smoke alarm, the new law could also potentially save homeowners money by eliminating the need for replacement batteries every six months, Flanagan said. After the 10-year operational time period of the device, a new smoke alarm device would need to be purchased as a replacement.
Firemen’s Association of the State of New York President Robert McConville said lawmakers, including Flanagan, have taken big steps to keep New York families safe.
“We would like to thank State Sen. John Flanagan for his leadership on this critical issue. Simply put, his efforts in passing this legislation will help save lives in New York State,” he said. “We’ve seen time and again that working smoke alarms can be the difference between life and death. Together, State Sen. Flanagan, Assemblyman Joseph Morelle (D-Irondequoit), and N.Y. Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) have succeeded in making New York a safer place to live.”
The new law will go into effect in April 2019, once an agreed-upon chapter amendment between the Governor, the Senate and the Assembly is approved.
It will not apply to devices which have been ordered or that are in inventory when the law goes into effect. It will not impact devices that are powered through electrical systems, fire alarm systems with smoke alarms, fire alarm devices that connect to a panel or other devices with low-power radio frequency wireless communication signal.
Additionally, the upcoming amendment will provide the state fire administrator, through its regulatory process, the ability to designate other devices that are exempt from the legislation.
“It is critical that all homeowners who do purchase these devices in our state are able to trust them for a full decade,” Flanagan said. “The goal is to help New Yorkers protect their homes and their families, and this legislation is a great step in that effort.”
Most kids see hoverboards as the next hot toy, but they don’t know how literal that is.
U.S. Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) spoke this week about the dangers of hoverboards shipped from overseas, with batteries that have sometimes burst into flames. He said the type of battery being used in foreign-made hoverboards is unstable if not stored and charged properly.
While this problem seems like the most dangerous reason not to buy a hoverboard this holiday season, there are more concerns shoppers should consider. These boards are serious pieces of machinery. There are hundreds of videos of kids displaying their skills and tricks on hoverboards, as well as many videos of kids wiping out as they try to learn how to maneuver. Everyone who operates a hoverboard should exercise caution with these new devices, for themselves and for those around them.
These machines gain speed quickly and a slight shift in weight can quickly turn into a crash. Parents should consider requiring kids to wear helmets while riding, and should talk about how to use one safely, such as by keeping a certain distance away from pedestrians and staying within certain speeds.
When someone starts the ignition of a car, that person is expected to drive safely, thinking about other drivers and pedestrians on the road. The same should go for anyone on hoverboards, or any other motorized ride.
One of this year’s hot holiday items might be a little too hot.
Hoverboards have been flying off the shelves this holiday season, but recent safety issues, including multiple cases of boards catching fire or exploding, have given some shoppers pause. That’s why U.S. Rep. Steve Israel (D) gathered with members of the Commack Fire Department Tuesday and urged consumers against buying hoverboards specifically made in China, because he said the type of batteries used in them may ignite.
“Hoverboards may be the hot holiday gift, but they are literally catching on fire and igniting questions about their safety and the safety of lithium-ion batteries,” Israel said. “New Yorkers should remain hesitant before purchasing these hoverboards and stay vigilant while using and charging them.”
Hoverboards are self-balancing and electronic two-wheeled devices on which people can travel from place to place. When riding one, a person may appear to be levitating, or hovering, similarly to those on the hoverboards featured in the film “Back to the Future II.”
Israel stood beside a photo display of several fires that the Commack department had already responded to where hoverboards caused combustion inside someone’s home, destroying property and, sometimes, entire rooms.
Hoverboards shipped from overseas use lithium ion batteries, which can combust if heated or overcharged due to their limited voltage range. Israel called for more research from the U.S. Department of Energy on the safety of using lithium ion batteries in hoverboards.
The congressman also noted that airports already task their security personnel to remove all lithium ion batteries from checked bags for the same reason.
“Well if we know that those lithium ion batteries could be a hazard to the plane, and we know a hover board with a lithium ion battery could be hazardous to our homes, that says we need to do a little bit more research,” Israel said.
Commack Fire Marshal Joe Digiose flanked the congressman on Tuesday and said he urged residents to be careful when buying hoverboards until more research is completed. He said there is no research that shows the American-made products are not working well, but the ones from overseas pose more of a danger and are being shipped at a very high rate to the United States.
“We recommend you don’t buy them but if you do, buy an American-made one,” he said.
Don Talka, senior vice president and chief engineer at Underwriters Laboratories has been involved in research on lithium ion batteries for years, starting back when they were involved with similar issues in laptops. He said the major problem is the mating of the battery with the rest of the electronics used in the hoverboards.
“What we’ve learned through our research … is that the combination and how these pieces interact causes the issues,” Talka said. “And how the batteries are charged and discharged are all items which need further investigation.”
At the press conference, Israel inspected the box that a hoverboard came in, and said that despite all the instructions and caution labels about the product, there is nothing to be said about the battery.
“That has been established as one of the single greatest threats to property and potentially lives when they’re coming from China,” Israel said. “That’s why we want to comply with the energy chair to fully research this and make sure that people aren’t being exposed to greater risk and threat by lithium ion batteries.”
Brookhaven Town officials demonstrated the dangers of Christmas tree fires last week, igniting an unwatered tree in a model living room.
The Dec. 9 event was aimed toward raising awareness about proper care for live trees. Before the dry tree went up in flames, officials from the town’s Division of Fire Prevention failed to set a properly watered Christmas tree on fire.
The dry, fiery tree caused damage to the model living room, referred to as a “burn pod.”
“This was a frightening, first-hand look at what could happen if Christmas trees are not sufficiently watered,” Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) said in a statement. “I urge everyone to make sure when purchasing a fresh Christmas tree to keep it properly watered to prevent a fire like we witnessed today.”
Christmas tree lights and Hanukkah candelabra called menorahs can also create fire safety issues. Councilman Dan Panico (R-Manorville) warned residents to “inspect your lights for frayed wires or broken bulbs.”
Christmas trees caused 210 house fires across the country annually between 2009 and 2013, although almost a quarter of those fires were intentional, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Another more than 750 unintentional fires per year were caused by other holiday decorations. The fires result in injury, death and property damage.
“It took only seconds for this fire to develop and consume the burn pod and cause severe damage,” Councilman Neil Foley (R-Blue Point) said in a statement.
The National Fire Protection Association has advised people to place trees at least 3 feet away from heat sources like fireplaces, radiators, vents or lights, and to make sure it does not block any exits. It is recommended that 1 to 2 inches is cut from the trunk’s base before the tree is set into its stand, the association said, and trees should be watered daily.
For more information, visit the National Fire Protection Association at www.nfpa.org.
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