Two dogs rescued from Central Islip house fire

Firefighters rescued two dogs trapped in a burning Central Islip house Friday evening while their owners were not home, officials said.

Around 6:08 p.m. first responders were dispatched to a house fire on Peters Boulevard and received reports that there were two dogs inside, according to Central Islip Fire Department Chief Vincent Plotino. When he arrived on scene around two minutes later, he said “we saw flames through the glass bay window” in the front of the home.

“When our units pulled up, they actually went in, made the search, got the two dogs out and they’re alive and well at this time,” Plotino said at the scene Friday evening. He noted that around a half dozen departments responded to the scene.

Around 7:30 p.m., a woman who identified herself as one of the structure’s occupants, but didn't want to give her name, said her family had gone shopping and returned to find the house damaged by fire and the dogs out of the house. 

“We’re not doing well as you can imagine,” she said. “Thankfully the fire department did an amazing job and brought the dogs out for us … We’ve got plenty of support from our neighbors; that’s a blessing.”

One firefighter hit his head going down the stairs to the basement and was sent to South Shore University Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, Plotino said. No other injuries were reported.

While first responders do not know why the fire started, it “seemed to have started in the living room area of the residence,” Plotino said. Detectives with the Suffolk County Police Department Arson Squad were investigating the cause.

Beyond the scorched outline of what was the bay window, some of the home’s vertical wooden studs and insulation stood exposed. The chief said the structure sustained “a lot” of fire and water damage.

“It’s not livable at this time,” he said. “It’s pretty close to a loss.”