Two adults were displaced after a house fire in Mineola on Friday, Jan. 30, according to the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s office.
The Mineola Fire Department received the alarm at 10:55 a.m. and responded to the two-story home at 452 Marcellus Road, the office said.
“It was a small fire; they were thawing pipes in the basement. Those houses over there are balloon construction, which means there’s a gap between the exterior wall and the walls inside,” Mineola Fire Chief Bryan Strauss said. “That’s very dangerous for us as firefighters and the homeowners because you have a small fire in the basement, next thing you know, it’s all the way in the attic.”
He said the homeowners were thawing pipes with a heat gun, which heated the insulation, which ignited the fire. The fire was doused in about 10 minutes, according to Strauss.
According to the Fire Marshal’s office, one adult self-evacuated, and no investigation was requested by the Mineola Fire Department. It said the Red Cross was not needed.
About 40 firefighters from Mineola, Garden City Park, Carle Place, Westbury, Albertson, and New Hyde Park Fire Departments were present, the release said.
Strauss said that there were no injuries to residents or firefighters.
The house had no visible exterior damage, and Strauss estimated the fire left about $10k-$20k in interior damage.
He said the house appeared to still be livable.
