The Farmingdale Fire Department responded to a fire at 8:50 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 21 at the Secatogue Apartments Complex, located at 150 Secatogue Ave.

According to Assistant Chief Skip Schumeyer, heavy smoke was showing from the first and second floors of building #7. None of the residents sustained any injuries; however, one police officer was taken to New Island Hospital for smoke inhalation.

A fire marshal determined the cause to be related to a boiler below the first floor in the basement.

"It caused the rafters to catch on fire, which extended to the first floor, which extended to the second floor," Assistant Chief Schumeyer said.

Four families have been displaced altogether. Some are staying at La Casa Comunal Community Center on South Front Street in Farmingdale.

"Two of the apartments were totaled and four others adjacent to them have smoke damage," Mayor Graf said.

According to Mayor Graf, only the tenants in building #7 were evacuated.

As of Wednesday morning, the boiler was turned back on and "everyone is back in their apartments except for building #7", Assistant Chief Schumeyer said.

The South Farmingdale, East Farmingdale and Massapequa Fire Departments were also on hand to assist the village.

"The response was very quick," Mayor Graf said.

Mayor Graf said that village code enforcement had been on the scene at the complex, not only that day, but during the past few months as well. The village has been performing a full inspection of each apartment, documenting any code violations.

Members of the Nassau County Police Department, Farmingdale Fire Department, Office of Emergency Management and Farmingdale Village building inspectors attended a meeting later in the day to discuss the fate of the complex.

"This is the fourth situation at this building and he's got to clean it up," Mayor Graf said, speaking about Tosini.

Assistant Chief Schumeyer said that the department gets called to the complex for rescue calls often, but they "haven't been called there for a fire in a while."

In January of 2003 a fire reportedly started by a reckless smoker left 40 Secatogue tenants homeless. Back in late October, Nassau County Police Officers responded to the apartment complex for a watermain break that sent approximately 150 tenants to nearby shelters after the water and electricity had to be shut off for safety reasons.