Dozens displaced after fire in West Babylon. Here's how deep snow hampered the response.
Dozens of people were displaced and three suffered minor injuries, including a firefighter, after a fire at a Long Island apartment complex.
Firefighters in West Babylon said all the snow added extra challenges.
The fire broke out at the Fairfield Suburbia Gardens complex on Great East Neck Road Tuesday at around 7:30 p.m. West Babylon fire officials said the fire spread from one unit to another, and two apartments below also suffered water damage. Investigators are looking into the cause of the blaze.
Hydrant was covered in snow
Dozens of residents were displaced.
"There were some people out there barefoot because, you know, they were told their building's on fire, and they ran out," West Babylon Fire Chief William Allen said.
Allen said that with the help of other fire departments and the Red Cross, residents were bused to a nearby church while crews fought the flames. He added that the snow created challenges for responding firefighters, including gaining access to the building.
"One of the challenges from the snow is the hydrant that we were trying to commit from we couldn't find because it was covered," Allen said.
They relied on fire truck tanks until they located a new hydrant.
Allen said it was also difficult to access the building.
"We were scared for everybody"
Neighbor Lisette Torres was in disbelief when she saw the intense flames taking over her neighbor's apartment.
"Unbelievable. I've never seen anything like that," Torres said.
She first became aware of the fire while she put her son to sleep. The room got hot and she heard sirens, and then she looked out the window.
"It's like an experience I can't even describe. We were scared for everybody," Torres said.
Debbie McKeehan said she was about to go to bed when a first responder said she and her roomate had to evacuate.
"My cat was underneath my bed and everything, and I tried to get her, and he kept on saying 'We have to go, we have to go,'" McKeehan said. Her cat Lulu survived.
"It's just so devastating and it's scary, 'cause it happened right here, and it can be anyone. In the blink of an eye, anything can be taken from you," neighbor Chrissy Salvato said.
Allen is urging people to clear snow from hydrants. He says the department holds a "Hydrant Hero" contest. The person who clears the most hydrants can win a gift card to a local restaurant.