Fire Officials to Recommend Flagging Fire Hydrants
Two people sustained minor injuries in a kitchen fire that damaged a house in Floral Park, fire officials reported. The Floral Park Fire Department was called to a residence on Oak Street on Feb. 13. at 9:45 a.m. It took the help of five fire departments to put out the flames, which destroyed the first floor and part of the second floor of the two-story home.
According to 1st Assistant Fire Chief Ulmer, “the fire was attributed to unattended food on the stove in the rear of the house in the kitchen.” Ulmer stated that the two occupants tried to extinguish the fire themselves before they called the fire department and the blaze spread quickly.
The two individuals, who made it out safely, were initially taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow to be treated for superficial burns, which were not life-threatening.
The house fire drew attention to the hazard of fire hydrants being buried in snow. Ulmer stated that although firefighters usually locate hydrants with maps, they are not always correct. “I recommend that homeowners know where the fire hydrants are located on their block.” Ulmer plans to meet with the mayor to discuss flagging the top of hydrants with a pole as a possible solution to the problem. “It makes them much more visible in weather like this,” he said.
