Three-alarm house fire in Jericho injures 2 firefighters, displaces family of 5
Jericho Fire Department First Deputy Chief Randall Richardson said limited staffing posed challenges during the response.
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The Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office says two firefighters suffered minor injuries and a family of five was displaced after a three-alarm fire tore through a home in Jericho on Monday afternoon.
The fire broke out around just after 1 p.m. at a two-story split-level home on Maytime Drive near Merry Lane. Crews from the Jericho Fire Department arrived to find heavy fire conditions and quickly upgraded the response to a working fire, which later escalated to three alarms.
More than 85 firefighters from over 10 departments responded to the scene, including Hicksville, Syosset, Bethpage, Westbury and Plainview.
Officials said the fire was brought under control in about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Two firefighters were treated at the scene for minor injuries and are expected to recover. The family inside the home escaped safely, but the structure sustained extensive damage and is now unlivable.
The Town of Oyster Bay Building Department said the home can be repaired and will not need to be demolished.
Fire officials described a dramatic scene as crews battled the flames, with video capturing a car tire in the driveway exploding while firefighters worked to contain the blaze. Crews were seen on the roof extinguishing hot spots while others worked from the ground to prevent the fire from spreading.
Jericho Fire Department First Deputy Chief Randall Richardson said limited staffing posed challenges during the response.
“As always during the middle of the day, getting crews is challenging,” Richardson said. “Long Island’s volunteer fire departments are seriously short on crews, so that’s why we had departments from all over responding.”
Investigators from the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office and Nassau County police Arson/Bomb Squad are working to determine the cause of the fire.
