Members of the North Massapequa Fire Department responded to a report of smoke in the vicinity of North Broadway and North Manhattan Avenue in the early morning hours of Jan. 21. Upon arrival, Chief Kenneth S. Blinder confirmed a working building fire at Villa Maria's restaurant, 746 North Broadway.

Responding firefighters were confronted with a difficult structure fire with gas fed flames shooting out of the roof and windows. Further compounding the difficult task were the extremely frigid temperatures and the threat of fire extension to adjoining businesses. As firefighters began flowing water, it quickly froze. The icy conditions made a difficult situation even more dangerous.

Despite the arduous conditions, firefighters worked professionally and quickly confined the blaze. "Our members did an excellent job of locating the fire and extinguishing it," Blinder said. "It's critical to set up quickly and proficiently in order to effectively fight the fire. Once the teams were established, everyone performed flawlessly."

Blinder, who headed the scene with support from 1st Assistant Chief Richard Erickson and 2nd Assistant Chief Gary Brosnan, said that many residents are unaware of the massive effort associated with fighting a building fire.

"We have hose teams, search teams, ventilation teams on the roof and ground, hydrant teams, pump operators, ladder operators, safety officers and fire police all working in concert to complete the job," Blinder explained. "Everybody's function is equally important. We're fortunate to have qualified people in all areas."

The fire department responded to the scene with seven pieces of apparatus and 40 members. Additional mutual aid fire departments responded to assist in the operation. There were no reported firefighter or civilian injuries.

According to Blinder, the cause of the fire appears to be a faulty heater, but is still being investigated by the Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office.