Last week’s fire that gutted a townhouse on Willets Road in Albertson tested the mettle of the heroic members of the Nassau County Fire Department.
The firefighters endured brutal cold that froze on power lines and hoses and turned the water into ice in midair. The fire and icing forced the temporary cutting of power to more than 1,200 customers.
The blaze could easily have spread to as many as 20 nearby townhouses. But because these firefighters were willing to brave dangerous and challenging conditions, only one family lost their home.
We too often take for granted the courage of men and women who rush into a burning building while others are running out. That courage was all the more remarkable when the water they used to fight the fire froze and their gloves and faces.
