The Mineola Fire Department was alerted to a dumpster fire next to an apartment building on Clinton Avenue on Saturday, Nov. 28 at 6 a.m. Mineola Assistant Chiefs Brian Santosus Rob Connolly at the scene found an engulfed commercial dumpster with flames extending up the exterior of the building. Flames were impinging upon a high pressure gas line and the radiant heat was beginning to cause the windows of some of the adjacent apartments to fail, officials said.
Chief of Department Jeff Clark arrived on scene and assigned Chief Brian Santosus to coordinate the fire attack while Connolly was sent to assess the conditions inside the building. Engine 162 arrived on scene and began knocking down the flames which were dangerously close to extending into the building.
Officials said Company Three arrived on scene and sent firefighters to pull a second water line to snuff out the remaining hot spots. The heavy fire load inside the dumpster made fighting this fire a stubborn battle.
Inside the apartment building, smoke was beginning to enter some of the apartments and residents began to evacuate, authorities said. Truck 168 arrived on scene and crews assisted the engine while a second team entered the building to begin venting the smoke.
Firefighters were able to remove the smoke from the affected apartments without contaminating the remainder of the building. Using thermal imaging cameras, firefighters scanned the affected areas of the building to insure there were no hidden pockets of fire in the walls.
