Residents on Coventry Road North in Lakeview were in shock after a fire ripped through a home Sunday night while a family was inside.
About 100 firefighters from several departments responded to the blaze. Fire officials say everyone in the home got out alive.
“They all did have smoke inhalation, but they will all make a speedy recovery. We did have a couple of firefighters who did have smoke inhalation and, unfortunately, one did have the roof ceiling come down on him,” said Frederick Senti III, chief of the Lakeview Fire Department.
That firefighter suffered a minor head injury, according to the Nassau County Fire Marshall.
The fire marshall also said the homeowner reported the fire after hearing the smoke detector go off.
The Lakeview Fire Department was alerted, and their firehouse happens to be located directly behind the house that went up in flames.
“We actually used the hydrant from the ramp, which we normally use to refill the trucks, and that was the hydrant that we actually hit to go around the corner and utilize, so that’s a first,” Senti said.
Candice Similton lives nearby. She said her best friend, Joseph, lives in the home, and he ran in to get his mother out.
“He saved his mom’s life. It was just God’s will. If we didn’t show up, she would’ve died from smoke,” Similton said.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known as of Sunday night.
The Red Cross is in touch with the impacted family.