Firefighters battle West Islip house fire for an hour, officials say

Firefighters from three different companies spent an hour Saturday battling a house fire on Leopold Avenue in West Islip. 

No one was injured during the blaze, said West Islip Fire Department Chief Robert Bilella. Firefighters from Babylon and Bay Shore helped extinguish the fire, he said. 

The blaze started just before 5:30 p.m. and West Islip fire officials were notified about 5:40 p.m.

Bilella said two residents of the home were already outside and sitting on the lawn when firefighters arrived. It took an hour to put out the fire, Bilella said, because most of his staff was marching at a parade in Copiague and they couldn't immediately break free.  

"I had to call everyone who was available — Bay Shore, Babylon, whoever," the chief said. "Almost everybody was in that parade."

During the fire fight, a propane tank that the residents stored in the back of their home exploded, Bilella said. The propane tank did not cause the fire, he added.  

Fire investigators have not determined what caused the fire, Bilella said.