East Northport firefighters battle cemetery blaze
East Northport volunteer firefighters responded to fire at a cemetery this past Saturday.
The East Northport Fire Department received numerous calls Feb. 23 reporting flames coming out of a maintenance building on the grounds of Genola Rural Cemetery off Laurel Road at approximately 1:30 p.m., according to fire department spokesman Steve Silverman.
Volunteer firefighters arriving on the scene found a one-story building fully engulfed in flames and began to aggressively attack the blaze. It took approximately 60 firefighters using eight trucks under the direction of Assistant Chiefs Tom Bourne and Steve Macedonio to bring the fire
under control within 40 minutes.
Both the Northport and Greenlawn fire departments assisted by providing additional apparatus and volunteer firefighters. Cyanide Response Team paramedics from the Dix Hills Fire Department responded to the scene in case of injuries from smoke inhalation. The Commack Fire Department and volunteer ambulance corps provided standby coverage during the alarm.
The fire appears to be accidental in origin, according to Silverman. It is under investigation by the Town of Huntington fire marshal. There were no injuries reported, but the cemetery’s maintenance building was extensively damaged.
