A Village of Great Neck Estates home was demolished last Friday by Nassau County Fire Marshals after a fire destroyed the inside of the 10 Willow Place residence.
“The house was completely gutted by the fire,” Nassau County Fire Marshal Investigations Division Supervisor James Hickman said. “Only a couple of walls and the chimney remained, so we had to have it demolished for safety sake.”
A neighbor smelled smoke at 4:05 p.m. but nobody was alerted, Vigilant Fire Company Chief Josh Forst said, until a different neighbor saw two floors of the residence on fire and called 911 at 4:25 p.m.
First Assistant Chief Joshua Charry was the first responder to arrive on scene and determined the home was unsafe for firefighters to enter.
Once assistance arrived from the Great Neck Alert Fire Company, Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department, and the Port Washington Fire Department, efforts began to get water into the house to put out the fire, Forst said.
Nassau County Fire Marshals are still investigating the cause of the incident but determined it was not suspicious, Hickman said.
The male owner of the home was at work at the time of the fire, Hickman said, but the house was undergoing renovations so nobody had been living in the residence.
One firefighter sustained a minor injury, Forst said, but was treated on scene.
