May 6, 2015
Firefighters Called to Put Out Blaze in Fire Island Pines
EDGE READ TIME: 2 MIN.
The greatest fear common to all Fire Island homeowners became a frightening reality Tuesday morning when a fire on the deck of a private home in Fire Island Pines spread to the house.
According to a report on Fire Island News' Facebook page, the blaze started on the deck of a home on Midway Walk in the early hours Tuesday morning. The fire spread from the deck to the home after unsuccessful attempts by the homeowners to extinguish the flames themselves.
By 3 a.m. volunteers from the Fire Island Pines Fire Department along with several neighboring firefighting units were called in to fight the blaze. The case was deemed closed by the FIPFD at 9 a.m.
The home is considered to be salvageable.
No injuries to any firefighters on the scene have been reported.
With its lack of roads and narrow wooden boardwalks, fires are particularly devastating on Fire Island. Off-season, when the island's communities are deserted, they can be catastrophic.
In March, neighboring community Cherry Grove experienced a devastating blaze that claimed the historic town's Cherry Grove Beach Hotel along with several private homes.
According to the Fire Island Pines Fire Department website , there are approximately 750 residential homes within the boundaries of the Pines made up of 650 individual single-family houses and 100 co-operative apartments. There are no paved roads. There is one dirt road running east to west through the center of the community.
Six-foot wide public boardwalks provide access to all the homes in the Pines. The community is approximately 1.5 miles long and .25 mile wide, and is located on the eastern portion of Fire Island. Currently, the population fluctuates from as little as 100 during the winter months to as many as 4,000 during the peak summer months.
Water in the community is supplied by Suffolk County Water Authority. For fire protection purposes, a hydrant system with Class A Hydrants is installed along the dirt roadway with Class B Hydrants along the interior boardwalks.
