Fire at Smithtown apartment complex displaces residents

An afternoon fire at an apartment complex in Smithtown, only days before Christmas, left an undisclosed number of Suffolk County residents out in the cold Friday evening, officials said.

The fast moving fire was reported at 2:42 p.m. at 187 Avalon Circle in Smithtown, said James Keane, a commissioner in the Nesconset Fire Department.

There were no injuries to the building's occupants or to responding firefighters.

More than 75 firefighters from 10 departments responded to the scene where the fire was confined to the first and second floors affecting about 12 units, said Christopher Zarnitz, the department's assistant fire chief.

“Everyone here did a phenomenal job here today,” said Zarnitz, adding the building was equipped with fire alarms. “They made an aggressive stop and the building still stands. And there were no injuries at this point.”

William White, the Town of Smithtown Building Department director, later said he was told by the Suffolk County Fire Marshal's Office that as many as 24 units were affected by the blaze.

The American Red Cross, which was on the scene, said 12 units were damaged by the fire, and 12 were impacted by water and had no power.

The number of occupants displaced was not immediately clear, White said.

“The building will be declared unsafe and we're going to take it from there,” White said. “We're going to have it secured so that it's safe.”

The cause of the fire has not been determined and will be investigated by the county Fire Marshal's office.

Jose Dominguez, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross on Long Island, said their immediate priority is to get everyone out from the cold. Temperatures were expected to drop into the 20s Friday night.

Laurie Chapman, who lives in Building 185, said she was listening to music Friday afternoon when she heard a big bang at her front door telling her to evacuate.

“We came out to the flames,” said Chapman, who said she will be staying with relatives. “It was on fire real good.”

In a statement, the American Red Cross said Friday night it was “operating a reception center at the community center at 313 Avalon Circle, located near the gym area next to the leasing office within the complex. Red Cross responders are currently on scene registering impacted residents for recovery assistance, as well as providing immediate assistance such as meals.”

The statement said any residents unable to connect with Red Cross responders on scene can call 877-RED-CROSS (877-733-2767).

With Drew Singh and Maureen Mullarkey

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.