100-Plus Firefighters Battle Greenlawn House Fire

GREENLAWN, NY — Greenlawn firefighters were joined by peers from more than a dozen other fire departments to battle a house blaze on Monday. Overall, 100 firefighters from 16 departments worked to get the fire under control in Greenlawn, according to public information officer Steve Silverman.

The fire saw family pets saved and a firefighter hospitalized due to heat exhaustion, Silverman said.

The Greenlawn Fire Department was dispatched to the home around 10:45 a.m. Monday. Chiefs Joe Pace and Angelo Santomauro arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the front of the house. The chiefs found the family dog and cat and rescued them.

The fire broke out in the basement, according to Silverman. The clutter inside the house made it difficult for firefighters to be able to reach the basement, Silverman said.

"It was an amazing show of coordinated teamwork that took over five hours from start to finish," Silverman wrote in the news release.

One firefighter was transported to Huntington Hospital after suffering heat exhaustion. The Huntington Fire Marshal and Suffolk Police Arson Squad are investigating the cause of the fire.

Santomauro expressed his thanks to the following departments for their help: Dix Hills, East Northport, Huntington Manor, Huntington, Commack, Northport, Centerport, Melville, Kings Park, Cold Spring Harbor, Halesite, Eaton's Neck, Deer Park and Syosset FD's, HCFAS, CVAC.