A devastating fire damaged two homes on North Monroe Avenue in West Islip.
The fire, which broke out just before 12:30 p.m. on Friday, reportedly started in a garage and quickly spread.
Witnesses described hearing a loud explosion just before the flames erupted.
Joann Giuffre, who lives nearby, recalled the shocking moment.
“We were in the kitchen and we heard a boom. And we came to the front door and we saw the flames,” she said.
Firefighters arrived to find flames coming from the garage of one home.
“Upon arrival, the original structure had a fire emanating from the garage. As the scene progressed and fire crews got on scene, the fire did spread to the secondary structure,” said Assistant Chief Ryan Broderick, of the West Islip Fire Department.
While the fire caused significant damage, there were no injuries reported.
Both homes were unoccupied at the time.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, and it’s not yet clear why the flames jumped from one home to another. Officials with the West Islip Fire Department say wind did not play a role in the spread of the fire.