Firefighters Battle Blaze At Wading River Home: Officials

WADING RIVER, NY — Firefighters raced to the scene of a residential structure fire in Wading River Sunday night, the Wading River Fire Department said.

According to the WRFD's Facebook post, Wading River Fire Department personnel were at the scene of an EMS alarm when they monitored a radio transmission about a possible structure fire.

Chief Tom Whelan and 2nd Assistant Chief Denise Gluck quickly reassigned the members on scene to transport the patient to the hospital and had the additional personnel respond back to the fire house to pick up the fire apparatus, officials said.

At 8:08 p.m., the WRFD was activated for the possible residential structure fire on Long View Drive, officials said.

While responding, a radio transmission from a Riverhead Town police officer indicated that he saw flames visible from the structure, officials said.

Chief Gluck arrived at the scene and confirmed that the rear deck was on fire and that the fire had extended into the home, fire officials said.

Chief Whelan had Suffolk County Fire Rescue and Emergency Services dispatchers reactivate the WRFD for a working structure fire, which immediately activated a "robust" mutual aid plan, officials said.

The mutual aid plan brought in additional resources from neighboring departments; Chief Whelan assumed "command" and Chief Gluck was assigned as "operations," officials said.

Crews stretched a handline, entered the structure, located the fire, and performed a primary search; the hose crew knocked down the visible fire in the kitchen area and, confronted with a large amount of fire in the attach garage, made an aggressive push into the garage and again knocked down all the fire within the structure, officials said.

WRFD Engine 13 attached to a nearby hydrant and provided a positive water source for Ladder 4. The crew from Engine 13 stretched an additional handline to extinguish the fire outside the structure, officials said.

Mutual aid units from the Rocky Point, Ridge, Manorville and Riverhead Fire Departments arrived and were put to work "opening up" the structure and providing ventilation and overhaul, officials said.

The Brookhaven National Laboratory Fire Department provided a rapid intervention team and the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps stood by at the scene, officials said.

The Riverhead Town fire marshal responded to investigate the cause of the fire and Suffolk County FRES coordinators also responded; the Ridge FD and Middle Island FD paramedics, as part of a combined department "cyanokit task force" with the WRFD, delivered the kits to the scene.

Next, while still working at the fire, WRFD command was notified of an additional fire alarm at N. Side Road in Wading River, officials said. The Sound Beach Fire Department and Manorville Volunteer Ambulance, which was standing by at WRFD headquarters, responded and handled the additional alarm, officials said.

In total, WRFD responded with 24 volunteer members, as well as the district paramedic, officials said.

One WRFD member was injured during the alarm, and all units were back in service at 9:50 p.m., officials said.

"The Chiefs would like to thank the members for their response and a job well done. They would also like to thank the neighboring departments, for their help and support," the WRFD said.