Blaze Breaks Out at Fire Island Pines

The Sayville Fire Department and Community Ambulance Company were among more than 20 fire departments that responded to a blaze that broke out Monday night at the Pines Pavilion Nightclub.

According to police, the large fire that started around 9:15 p.m. burned through several buildings in Fire Island Pines. The harbor at Fire Island Pines is closed to public traffic and two large buildings in the hamlet are scheduled to be demolished.

Four ambulance crews also responded, and crews needed more than two hours to get the blaze under control. There were no reports of injuries.

According to Wendy Liu, public information officer at Sayville Fire Department, the department received an alarm for a working structure fire at the Fire Island Pines community just before 9:30 p.m.

“Chief Mike Butler and two crews arrived on scene via ferry service,” Liu said. “The first crew was immediately put to work protecting 20 100-lb. propane tanks with hand lines while fire was whipping overhead. The second crew responded to a residential structure fire on the opposite side of the harbor.

"Firefighter Steve Vanderborgh took command of his crew at that structure fire as Sayville firefighters were tasked with outside ventilation and overhaul. Several other fire departments were also working on extinguishing that fire," she added.

Firefighters returned back to Sayville at approximately 1:30 a.m. and were dismissed an hour later once all equipment was put back into service, Liu said.

A police spokeswoman said officials expect the harbor to be closed until about 4 p.m. so heavy demolition equipment could be moved in. Two large buildings near the area of Fire Island Pines Boulevard and Black Duck Walk are scheduled to be razed, the spokeswoman said.

Sayville-based Community Ambulance Company is operating the EMS Command at the fire on Fire Island.

"We have four EMS agencies operating at the scene of the fire (Community Ambulance, Exchange Ambulance, South Country Ambulance and Mastic Beach Ambulance),” said Jamie Atkinson, chief of Community Ambulance Company. “We send EMS personnel over on the ferry with the Fire Department due to lack of an established EMS system in that part of the island."

She noted that EMS personnel conducted "fire rehabilitation"on more than 60 firemen to ensure they are safe after fighting the fire.

"We have also brought over by ferry to the island special medication for any potential victims of smoke inhalation, equipment to monitor the firemen's carbon monoxide levels and large amounts of oxygen," Atkinson said. "We also have two ambulances staged at the Sayville Ferry Terminal in case a patient needs to be transported to a mainland hospital. The EMS presence will continue to be on the island till the fire operations are completed.”