The Mineola American reported that on Feb. 24, 1981 at 3:48 a.m., the fire department responded to a fire at the Miller-Charles Co., a factory in the industrial section of East 2nd Street. Firemen first tried to enter the front of the building, but intense heat triggered explosions from the interior and forced them out. The owner of the manufacturing plant, Milton Charles, was summoned by police from his home in Westbury.
Shortly after his arrival at the scene, he experienced chest pains and collapsed. He was reported dead of cardiac arrest at 5:20 a.m.
—The Mineola American will periodically publish history snippets dating back to the newspaper’s inception. Keep a look out.
