A fire on Sunday morning destroyed about half of a one-story house in Sands Point, fire officials said.
Seventy-five firefighters from four departments responded to the blaze. One Port Washington firefighter was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Flower Hill for smoke inhalation and exhaustion.
The occupants of the 3,569-square-foot ranch-style home, at 14 Woodland Drive, were inside when the fire started, but safely evacuated, according to Port Washington Fire Department Chief Brian Waterson.
Waterson said the fire lasted about an hour and a half.
The Nassau County fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire, but a news release issued by the Port Washington Fire Department said it “is not considered suspicious.”
The firefighters cut a hole in the roof to allow the fire to funnel out so it could be contained in one section of the house, Waterson said.
“It all comes down to tactics,” Waterson said. “It was windy out, so that made it harder, but we cut the hole in the roof to allow the fire to empty out so we could get to it better and fight it. When we got there, it looked a lot worse, because the smoke was filling the entire house, so we thought the fire had spread to other parts.”
The Roslyn, Manhasset and Plandome Fire Departments responded as well, and additional units provided “standby coverage,” the release said.
“For the amount of fire that was there, and for it to be contained in the section of the house, we call it a save,” Waterson said. “Although there was some damage, the department calls it a success.”
