Between the hours of 9 and 9:30 a.m. last Friday morning, a fire broke out at the Liberty Industrial Site on Motor Avenue in Farmingdale. The South Farmingdale Fire Department immediately responded to the scene, assisted by other local fire departments.

According to officials from the South Farmingdale Fire Department (SFFD), the buildings that caught the brunt of the fire included Buildings H, E and F, which were being occupied by an auto parts and computer company. All employees that were in the buildings were evacuated and none were injured. Although there were no reported injuries, three of the buildings on the site sustained some serious damage. SFFD Assistant Chief Paul Kunkle, who was on duty at the site, said that in addition to structural damage, the buildings also suffered from water damage. He added that the evacuation of any employees within the buildings was their main concern.

According to officials, as of Wednesday, the cause of the fire has not been determined and is still under investigation.

Members of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as the Nassau County Department of Health were called to the scene to investigate and assist the fire department.

According to Lorenzo Thantu, the EPA's Project Manager for the Liberty Site, who came to the scene approximately three hours after the fire broke out, most of the fire itself had been extinguished by the time EPA investigators arrived, leaving plumes of smoke which were being pushed down because of the inclement weather that afternoon. SFFD officials reported that they stayed on the site for approximately 10 to 11 hours, making sure everything was under control. Thantu noted that while the fire was put out quickly, some were saying that the buildings which received the most damage may not be able to be re-occupied.

Thantu said that the fire will not in any way stand in the way of the clean up process. He added that the fire really only caused structural damage to parts of the property, but did not affect the ground soil and will not stop the EPA from moving forward with plans, adding that the Jan. 9 meeting is still in effect.

Úquot;It's not going to affect the schedule of our cleanup at all,Úquot; Thantu said about the fire. Úquot;We're still going through the cleanup selection process [and] public participation. We're moving forward. It should not affect what we are doing and what we will be doing in the near future.Úquot;