Main Street in downtown Mineola looks a whole lot different now after a fire ravaged businesses and displaced residents on Sunday, March 15.
The five-alarm fire occurred around 7:55 p.m. between First and Second streets. According to the Nassau County Police Department’s detectives, county police and the Mineola Fire Department responded to a 911 call for a garage fire that occurred in the rear of 101 Main St.
Upon arrival, 1st Assistant Chief Andrew Martone Jr. of the Mineola Fire Department transmitted a signal 10 for a building fire after seeing a heavy fire in the rear of 101 Main St. that had an extension into the adjacent buildings and apartments as well as a garage in the rear of the building. Second Assistant Chief Domingos Magalhaes handled operations in the rear of the building, while chief Robert Connolly ran command. With the very heavy fire load within the buildings, it took approximately eight hours to officially extinguish.
However, the department responded to two more calls at the same location for a rekindle due to hot spots reigniting under the large amount of debris throughout the collapsed structure.
The Mineola Fire Department was assisted by 12 other local departments, which consisted of approximately 200 firefighters, where two firefighters were treated and evaluated at the scene for signs of exhaustion.
The Red Cross also responded to the scene to assist with approximately 15 displaced residents. Arson/bomb squad detectives, fire marshals, Village of Mineola Building Department and the Town of North Hempstead were all on scene. Due to the severe damage of the buildings, they had to be demolished.
The investigation into the fire is ongoing.
