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A fire rages Tuesday at a 32-unit Central Islip apartment complex...

A fire rages Tuesday at a 32-unit Central Islip apartment complex that forced all residents to evacuate. Credit: Evan Rolla

A fire Tuesday afternoon at a Central Islip apartment complex damaged at least 24 of the building's 32 units and forced the evacuation of all residents, authorities said.

Det. Sgt. James Cullen with the Suffolk County Police Department’s Arson Squad said it was not clear when residents would be allowed to reenter the Hawthorne Avenue building, but it’s “definitely not happening tonight.”

The American Red Cross set up at Lighthouse Tabernacle Church of God, a block north, to assist displaced residents and their pets.

Firefighters responded about 1:30 p.m. to a call of a fire in a second-floor bedroom of one of the units, Central Islip Fire Chief Vinny Plotino said, adding the blaze was extinguished after about 45 minutes.

“We didn’t have any occupants in there, they all got out,” Plotino said. “Our guys made an aggressive push to get it knocked down.”

About 20 people were inside the building when the fire broke out, Suffolk County Fire Coordinator Rudy Sunderman said.

“This is so serious when you have this many units affected,” Sunderman said. “They had to shut the water, the electric and the gas off to that whole [building] due to the amount of fire damage.”

Suffolk County arson detectives will investigate the fire along with assistance from the Islip Town fire marshal to determine the cause.

“There’s 24 apartments affected,” Cullen said. “There’s at least eight to 16 affected by fire or water suppression efforts. Most of the fire was up in the attic area.”

Cullen added it was unclear as of late Tuesday afternoon if any of the units were complete losses.

Gina Ilarda, 52, stood outside her apartment about 3:30 p.m. shivering beneath a Red Cross blanket on a sunny afternoon in the low 30s, wondering when she could return to her unit across a hallway from the one where the fire burst through a window. Ilarda said she and her boyfriend heard yells of “get out,” then peeked out their balcony to see flames, grabbed their two dogs and raced downstairs onto a grassy area outside the building.

She was among the residents forced to evacuate with just the clothes on their backs.

“The fire spread to the roof, the smoke was in there,” Ilarda said. “It spread fast … They were screaming, ‘The gas is on! Everybody get out!’ ”

Ilarda and many of her evacuated neighbors were escorted onto a Central Islip Fire Department bus to keep warm until they were dropped off at the church. There, Associate Pastor Brian Lee and other church members brewed coffee while Red Cross workers welcomed the displaced residents and their pets, including at least two dogs and a bearded dragon.

“We’re here to help, here for people, whatever the community needs,” Lighthouse office administrator Kerry Brathwaite said.

Lee said he has been praying for friends and complete strangers displaced by the wildfires in the Los Angeles area. Now, Lee said, he had the chance to emulate the “compassion” he has seen across the country as volunteers help those in need.

“We’re more than willing to open up our doors,” Lee said.

Red Cross officials began welcoming the first group of around 20 residents after 4 p.m. Tuesday

“Right now we are going to keep the people safe in the reception hall,” Steven Scheer, a volunteer with the Red Cross, said at the church. "We will interview the clients, give them a meal and figure out what the next step is.”

Sunderman said at least another 30 residents were expected to arrive at the complex and be directed to the leasing office and then the church Tuesday evening. He said some residents would be spending the night at the church.

“The church has been very nice to open up for us,” he said. “People are showing up from work and their kids from school, and now they're saying, ‘Where do I go?’ ”

With John Asbury

FAA data analyzed by Newsday shows the number of bird strikes voluntarily reported by airports in New York City and Long Island has increased by 46% between 2009 and 2023. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.  Credit: Newsday/File Footage; Photo Credit: AP Photo/Steven Day, Bebeto Matthews; Getty Images

'A different situation at every airport' FAA data analyzed by Newsday shows the number of bird strikes voluntarily reported by airports in New York City and Long Island has increased by 46% between 2009 and 2023. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.

FAA data analyzed by Newsday shows the number of bird strikes voluntarily reported by airports in New York City and Long Island has increased by 46% between 2009 and 2023. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.  Credit: Newsday/File Footage; Photo Credit: AP Photo/Steven Day, Bebeto Matthews; Getty Images

'A different situation at every airport' FAA data analyzed by Newsday shows the number of bird strikes voluntarily reported by airports in New York City and Long Island has increased by 46% between 2009 and 2023. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.

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