1 Person Transported To Hospital After Early Morning Fire

WANTAGH, NY — One person was treated for smoke inhalation after an early morning fire broke out on Helene Street in Wantagh on Monday, Nassau County police said.

Police dispatchers were notified of the fire at about 12:17 a.m. and when officers arrived they saw “heavy smoke” billowing from the home, according to a police spokesman. The residents of the home, a two-story Country Cape, were able to escape the home, and the one person who was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation was transported to a local hospital as a safety precaution, police said.

The Wantagh Fire Department received several calls from area residents about the fire, according to Kevin Regan, public information officer for the department.

“The fire was apparently in the basement and had already extended to the first floor,” Regan said.

The firefighters began attacking the fire on several fronts, starting with the basement first, followed by the main level of the home, and then moved to the second floor as the fire traveled throughout the home through a plumbing wall up into the attic, Regan said.

The fire was brought under control in about 45 minutes and firefighters remained on scene for about an hour after that to conduct overhaul operations and to secure equipment, according to Regan.

Multiple agencies responded to the fire in addition to the Wantagh Fire Department. Other agencies included North Bellmore, which sent a F.A.S.T. Truck in the event of a trapped firefighter; as well as Bethpage, Seaford and East Meadow. Rescue and Rehab teams also responded, as well as ambulances from the Nassau County Police Department and the Levittown Fire Department. Two patients were treated at the scene for minor injuries, but they refused further medical aid, Regan said.

The cause of the fire has not been determined, though investigators do not consider it to be suspicious in nature, according to Regan. The cause remains under investigation by the county’s fire marshal office and Nassau County Police.