Four responders injured in fire at Emergency Ambulance Service in Freeport

Firefighters battled a five-alarm blaze at an ambulance vehicle service building in Freeport on Saturday that forced occupants to evacuate, officials said.

Four first responders suffered minor injuries, an official said.

The fire broke out shortly after 11 a.m. at 30 Commercial St., which houses Emergency Ambulance Service Inc., according to Nassau County Chief Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro. 

People inside the building were able to safely exit and the Freeport Fire Department was on the scene one minute after receiving the alarm at 11:07 a.m., Uttaro said.

"They encountered heavy fire inside the building along with multiple explosions from oxygen cylinders," Uttaro said.

The fire spread quickly and caused the building to collapse in several areas, including a section of the roof. As a result of "structural instability, the firefighters were backed out of the building," Uttaro said.

"Arson detectives have determined the fire to be non-suspicious," the fire marshal said, adding, "However, the source remains undetermined and seems to have started in the area of a vehicle that was being worked on when the fire broke out." 

The Freeport mayor and the buildings department will determine whether the building needs to be torn down.

It took 26 fire departments and 150 firefighters to bring the fire under control by 2 p.m., according to Uttaro and police.

Four first responders suffered minor injuries, including two Freeport firefighters and a Northwell medic taken to nearby hospitals with smoke inhalation, Uttaro said. A third firefighter was treated at the scene for a minor facial injury.

All three first responders have since been released from the hospital, said Ray Maguire, executive director at the Freeport Fire Department. 

The department was still "knocking out hot spots" Saturday evening, which is common after a major fire, he said. 

The Emergency Ambulance Service provides medical transportation to Long Island and Queens. It did not immediately respond to requests for comment. With Brianne Ledda