Fire Strikes Long Beach Home Still Under Construction

A family building a new home in Long Beach must wait longer before moving in after the structure caught fire early Monday afternoon.

A mail carrier called 911 when she noticed smoke coming from the West End home, at 73 Pennsylvania Ave., at about 1:13 p.m., and the Long Beach Fire Department responded and was on the scene in four minutes, according to LBFD Chief Scott Kemins.

“When our guys arrived they found heavy smoke pushing out of the two-story house, and they entered and found the fire was in the walls between the basement and the first floor,” Kemins said.

The fire was under control within 15 minutes, he noted, but the home sustained heavy smoke and water damage.  “The fire damage was minimal,” said Kemins about the brand new home that he estimated is 90 percent completed. “It was contained to a small area of the house.”

Kemins said that the no one is yet living in the house, and no injuries were reported. About 75 firefighters from Long Beach, Island Park and Lawrence-Cedarhurst fire departments were at the scene, and Point Lookout-Lido and Oceanside fire departments were on standby.

The Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the fire.