Hicksville firefighters responded to a report of smoke in the area by the railroad freight yard on West John Street on April 8. The alarm was received at 2:52 p.m.

Upon arrival, the first arriving company found the power lines burning from pole to building and smoke enveloping the roof portion of the building. That fire burned itself out when the wires melted. Further back on the property, a storage shed was ablaze. Firefighters could not enter the property due to the burning overhead wires, so they had to drag hose lines 600 feet back to the burning shed. A quick assessment of the building found that two propane cylinders were inside, along with three, 55-gallon drums of an unknown product. Firefighters quickly removed the propane out of harms way.

Overhead wires which were burning forced firefighters to stay outside. In past years, the railroad stored hazardous materials, including weed killer chemicals, in the various sheds. Haz-Mat personnel used meters to scan the area to determine the level of toxicity. The remaining fire was extinguished.

Third Assistant Chief Edward Korona was in command and requested the county fire marshal to investigate the cause. In addition, a power surge was suspected and a LIPA crew responded to disconnect the damaged wires. One fire fighter suffered an injured foot during the operations. The Jericho Fire Department provided an ambulance at the scene along with a firefighter assistance team. Three additional departments provided units to stand by at fire headquarters. Fire operations forced the closing of West John Street, but railroad operations were not affected.