10/19/2002 Lonelyville, Fire Island

Proud Ocean-Front Home Goes up in Flames!

Approximately 12:50pm 911 is alerted to a fire in a beachfront home in Lonelyville. FHFD 2nd Asst. Chief Reynolds responds first to the scene within 2 minutes of the alarm and starts setting up. While Chief Cherveny proceeds to the FHFD Department building to help move equipment out. Third officer to arrive was 3rd Asst. Chief Accettella. On observing the situation Reynolds and Chief Cherveny independently call FireCom in Yaphank to call out mutual aid from the Kismet, Saltaire and Ocean Beach Fire Departments which respond immediately.

The greatest danger in this situation was the wind possibly causing the fire to jump to more houses downwind. In danger were the three houses immediately downwind of the burning house and behind that the Lonelyville Water Department which had on it's premises four 100lb. propane tanks for the emergency generators. Four exploding propane tanks pose a tremendous risk to lives and property and the FHFD chiefs had these tanks removed. Initially all water from the Lonelyville hydrants was used to water down the houses in immediate danger. Please have a look at the pictures below and you'll notice how little water was initially available for this important first response job. Eventually the Lonelyville electric water pumps failed because LIPA shut off power because of the burning telephone poles (see below). LIPA was consequently requested to isolate the damaged area so pressure could be restored to the hydrants. Fortunately the FHFD pumper had come online delivering the needed water from the Bay. This was the first time the pumper purchased in 2001 was used in a real fire and proved to be worth every penny the Fair Harbor, Dunewood and Lonelyville taxpayers, after some controversy, paid out. Without that pumper and without local fresh water from the hydrants this fire might have well turned into a 5 to 15 house (or more) disaster.

My hat off the leadership of the various Fire Departments and specifically Chief Cherveny, who headed the Command Post, who no doubt saved this community from a major disaster. Having observed the whole event, I can only be impressed with how the logistical problems were solved on those narrow roads and walks. One mistake in the sequence of arriving equipment might very well prevent an important piece arriving where and when needed.

Even without more than one house burning down, a very dangerous situation occurred where the fire actually jumped over an individual firefighter and ignited material in front of him. He huddled down and kept on watering down the area. Such is the professionalism and dedication of this individual and by extension of the whole Department that he did not want his name mentioned here. We all have to thank him and the others in that position for enduring on their post and no doubt helping saving a number of houses. Thanks to all for a "Great Stop" in Fire Department terms.

This is also the moment to thank all the Firefighters from Ocean Beach to Kismet for saving this community. Everyone of them did an outstanding job helping to contain this fire and unbeknownst to quite a few residents the many, many hours spent training on Fire Island and in Yaphank to be prepared for such a situation. Yes, mistakes were made and that is to be expected in such a complex operation with so many variables. But to be perfect one needs on the job training. I just hope that our volunteers don't get too much on the job training for obvious reasons.

Overall our volunteers spent seven hours on the site: fighting fire, protecting houses, inspecting houses and cleanup. A first for Fire Island occurred when Chief Cherveny requested and received assistance from the Town of Islip to send a caterpillar to sift through the site to extinguish the last hotspots and embers. The Town Highway Department responded expeditiously and flawlessly to Chief Cherveny's call for mutual help!

More cleanup was needed at the Fire House after arriving there at 8pm and also early Sunday morning to get the equipment ready for the next emergency. All in all some members probably spent more than 12 to 15 hours helping the community in this one particular fire alone.

In 2001 the Fire Department Chiefs spent a day role-exercising a worst scenario based on the 1999 experience with the Saltaire Navy Walk Fire which was similar and in part caused the Fair Harbor Fire Department to order the pumper. While thinking about this it occurred to me that this could also have cost lives. What if the homeowner had two 100lb (or 15lb ones) propane tanks on the property (there was no propane present) and they would have exploded and turned into missiles perhaps killing a bystander or a fire person or spread the fire further? If you have propane on your property, please ask your Fire Department or your vendor for instructions of how to properly place and secure propane tanks so they won't become missiles.

During an interview Chief Cherveny was full of praise for the members of the neighboring three Fire Departments that responded so quickly  with manpower and equipment to his call for help. The performance of each and everyone Fire Department member including the members of the Fair Harbor Fire Department again shows that all the hours spent training here and in Yaphank paid off!

He also thanks the East end Suffolk County Fire Coordinator Clarence LaFontaine as well as the West end Suffolk County Fire Coordinator Vern Hendricksen for helping out at the command post.

In addition, special thanks goes to Town of Islip Highway Department, that sent the Bulldozer to help secure the site and positively extinguish all embers.

Last and certainly not least he thanks the community and it's residents for lending a hand where needed and for providing food, drink and refreshments.

This fire will keep many in our communities occupied for years to come. What did we learn? How can we improve? What resources are needed ? And how can we involve the public and all homeowners in making our communities a safer place to live for all.

Approaching from Dunewood.	Fanned by strong winds the house is already fully engolfed by flames.	A fiery inferno. Residents that observed the remains next day commented on how little was left of the once stately home. Not even a coffee mug.	Fully engolfed. View from the beach.
Notice the flames going horizontal in the 25 to 40mph winds	The sky darkened by smoke. This house is immediately to the east on the dune. The home owner (here watering down his house) reported fire in the pines	The moment the "old Brooks" house immediately to the west catching fire. The fire was started only by the intense radiation heat (later extinguished).	Another view of the "old Brooks" houses east side (leeward) side on fire.
Blazing inferno consuming now the structural members of the home and collapsing.	Notice the telephone pole on fire.	Radiation heat setting the dune gras on fire.	Another view.
The deck next door (to the west and second off the ocean) remained undamaged.	The once beautiful garden laid to ashes.	Not in this picture, but this was the first time I heard a pine tree "explode". It is a strange and scary sound.	Third house to the east from the ocean. The FHFD tries to prevent these houses from going up in flames.
Look for the amount of water coming out of the hose in this, the next and the previous picture. This is still fresh water from the hydrant.	Watch how little pressure is delivered from the hydrant. This fireman tries his best. A scary situation developed later, when the fire leapt over him.	Setting up. Notice the home owner wetting down his home.	Wetting down the side of the house. This section was ably commandeered by 2nd Asst. Chief Reynolds. Many residents helped out where they could.
The burning house side has been extinguished.	The speed with which this house was consumed by the flames was incredible. Notice the charred walk.	We've seen these kind of pictures mostly from California or some forrested national park out west.	Many rushed to help. This is Ray from Dunewood who saw the smoke and flames from The Bay while windsurfing. Here's he's helping getting the "kinks"out