Fire damages Anchors Edge residential co-op building in Freeport

Multiple fire departments extinguished a blaze that seriously damaged a three-story residential building in Freeport on Friday evening, officials said.

The Freeport Fire Department responded to calls of a fire at a multiunit residential complex on Anchor Street in Freeport shortly after 5 p.m. Friday, Nassau County Chief Fire Marshal Michael F. Uttaro said in a news release.

The fire was deemed under control after 45 minutes, according to the fire marshal.

One civilian suffered a "minor" injury, "but refused medical attention," Uttaro said. No firefighter injuries were reported.

The blaze caused “serious damage” to the residential building, Uttaro said in the release.

The cause of the fire was deemed accidental in nature and due to an electrical failure, Uttaro said in a text message late Friday.

A total of six units in a single structure were damaged at the two-building Anchors Edge complex, according to Sean Beckert, the president of the Anchors Edge  co-op’s homeowners associati on. Each of the two buildings at the co-op complex contains 24 units.

Two of the co-op units were destroyed by fire, Beckert said in a telephone interview Friday evening. Another four units suffered smoke and water damage.

"They will be restored probably very quickly," he said of the damaged units, adding that it is too early to establish any timeline for repairs.

The owners of the damaged units were displaced and “rattled,” Beckert said, but thankful no one was seriously injured.

“They were more concerned that everybody got out and they got the pets out,” he said. “They all managed to find places to go, either friends or family or went to hotels.”

Around 120 firefighters, including those from Hempstead, Lawrence-Cedarhurst, Long Beach, Merrick, Point Lookout-Lido, Roosevelt and Uniondale, responded to the call.

“This could have been a real disaster, but they really took care of the situation very quickly,” Beckert said of the firefighters’ response.

The American Red Cross, which provides immediate relief such as food and clothing for families displaced by fires, did not receive calls for assistance related to the Freeport fire, a spokesperson for the nonprofit's Greater New York Region confirmed in an email to Newsday.