Fire damages house of ex-NHP commish

Richard Tedesco

An early morning fire seriously damaged the house of a former New Hyde Park fire commissioner last Friday.

The house of ex-commissioner John Brown at 1629 Falmouth Avenue in New Hyde Park caught fire at 12:35 a.m. on Aug. 2. 

Brown said his daughter called in the alarm as he was attempting to extinguish the flames on the side of the house with a garden hose. He said members of the New Hyde Park Fire Department responded to the scene within two minutes of receiving the call.

“They were there. They were very good. They were very careful,” Brown said.

New Hyde Park Fire Department Chief Brian Sherwood said units of the department under the command of 1st Assistant Chief Steve Waldron had been out responding to a call at Applebees on Jericho Turnpike when the house fire call was received.

Despite the prompt response, Brown said his house sustained extensive damage from the blaze.

“The house got destroyed by the necessary water damage. It’s a tremendous amount of damage for what was a relatively small fire,” Brown said.

Brown said his daughter and some friends were outside the house smoking cigarettes before the fire broke out. But he said he wasn’t sure what caused the fire.

“I do not know what happened, but I assume that somebody didn’t put the cigarette out,” Brown said.

Sherwood said units of the Floral Park, Mineola and Elmont fire departments assisted at the scene.

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