Electrical fire sparks at house in Laurel
One day after moving into a house they were renting on Delmar Drive in Laurel, a family was forced to evacuate when an electrical fire sparked.
The fire broke out at about 10:30 a.m. Monday, as a Cablevision worker was installing service to the house, officials said.
“Someone was working on the house, they hit a wire and that’s what started it,” said Cutchogue fire chief Tony Berkoski.
Conditions in the burning house were challenging, the chief said, with temperatures as high as 140 degrees.
LIPA arrived at the scene shortly before 11 a.m. to cut off power, as firefighters used an ax to break through the side of the house to reach the blaze.
“We had a hard time because the house was built properly, it had double sheetrock on the walls and ceiling so it was hard to pull down,” Mr. Berkoski said. “That was the problem. Once the fire got into the ceiling it was hard to get down.”
Nobody inside the house was injured, but at two fire fighters were taken to Eastern Long Island Hospital for treatment of heat exhaustion.
The Cutchogue and Jamesport Fire Departments assisted Mattituck at the scene.
