Fire latest challenge facing Elmont victims of 2023 co-op flood

Residents forced from their Elmont senior co-op after it flooded a year ago always knew their chances of ever returning were slim. Even so, a weekend fire that destroyed the still-empty building on Foster Meadow Lane left many pondering their next moves and the realization that whatever remained in their abandoned units after the flooding can never be retrieved.

Nassau County bomb and arson investigators concluded their investigation at the site of the three-floor, 30-unit building that caught fire Friday, just before midnight. A second fire flared up Saturday night and caused several floors to collapse.

The cause of the fire remained undetermined, Nassau County Chief Fire Marshal Mike Uttaro said Monday. The fire quickly spread throughout the building, which was built in 2011 with lightweight wood construction. All the building’s utilities, including gas and electricity, have remained shut off since the 2023 flood, Uttaro said.

"We can’t say it’s not suspicious or suspicious because we can’t get our arson dogs and investigators inside. The entire structure is unsound," Uttaro said. "There have been a myriad reasons why this happened, but we can’t guess and the fact that there was that much fire raises questions. Due to the severity of damage those questions may not be answered."

The nearly 60 residents who own the co-op were forced from their homes following a Sept. 30, 2023, rainstorm that flooded the building and destroyed its fire alarm and sprinkler system. Last winter, a pipe broke, flooding part of the building and leading to festering mold in the fully furnished units.

Jan Thompson and about eight other residents were relocated to the A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Center in Uniondale after the flood destroyed the building’s fire alarm and sprinkler system. Before the fire, Thompson and some residents would return to the building to gather some belongings left in their homes. She said her unit was still mostly in good condition.

"I don’t understand how the fire could have happened," Thompson said. "It’s gone now. I would say the building is definitely gone. It doesn’t look like anything is going to happen in that building again."

The building’s management company, Woods and Ruff, could not be reached for comment Monday. Their attorney also declined to comment. The building management previously said the building’s insurance policy was canceled earlier this year. Several residents were pursuing their individual property insurance policies.

Uttaro said investigators would continue to interview witnesses and look at nearby surveillance footage. Nassau County police said they are also investigating.

"Everyone knows that building is uninhabitable," Uttaro said. "Everything was shut down and it was basically boarded up. We don’t know how a fire initiates under those circumstances, but something must have caused it to happen."

Hempstead Town building inspectors were examining what remained of the building. Officials cordoned off the property with a chain-link fence and posted a sign Sunday that declared the building "unfit for human occupancy."

The future of the residents, many of whom have been paying mortgages while out of their homes, remains unclear.

Nassau County sued the building management company and the co-op residents last year, including for housing the residents for 11 nights at the Long Island Marriott.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s office did not respond Monday about the legal case or any potential past or future assistance for residents.

Brenda Shaw said her mother, Zula Brown, 84, who was also a co-op resident forced out by the flooding, cried when she saw the building charred by flames.

"She said everything is gone," Shaw said. "We knew it was gone before the fire and she was probably not going to get in and now everything is final."

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.