In a night fraught with fires, the brightest and the bravest of Mineola and its neighbors valiantly fought the flames, rescued lives and provided answers to difficult questions in a grand demonstration of heroism, both individual and collective.

Mineola Fire Department Second Assistant Chief Mike DeStefano said the fire calls began coming in around 4 a.m. The first two calls were ones involving a dumpster at 173 Mineola Boulevard and a couch fire across from 156 Harrison Avenue. These fires were extinguished by 4:30 a.m. and the firefighters were released from the scene.

About 5:20 a.m. the Mineola Fire Department (MFD) received another call for a building fire at 141 Mineola Boulevard. Police on the scene confirmed that it was a working building fire.

Soon after another fire was discovered in a dumpster under 120 Mineola Boulevard. DeStefano alerted mutual aid and the Williston Park Fire Department was dispatched to handle the fire at 120 Mineola Boulevard, the East Williston Fire Department which was on stand-by were redirected to the scene and the Garden City Park Fire Department rescue unit was alerted.

At that time the Carle Place Fire Department and the Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Corp were put on stand-by.

The most dangerous fire, at 120 Mineola Boulevard the site of Kuck's Deli and the Yogurt Palace, began in the back of the building and pushed toward the front. The intense heat from the flames melted the tin roof and cracked the exterior of a concrete structure in the back of the building.

The firefighters pushed the fire back, containing it to the one building and extinguishing it by about 7 a.m. All the buildings on the block from Atlantis Fine Dining on one end of the block to Franwin Pharmacy on the other end of the block were checked for smoke damage.

The fire totally devastated both Kuck's Deli and the Yogurt Palace and threatened the lives of the five residents of the upstairs apartments who were saved by the quick thinking of Peter Henrichs, son of William Henrichs the deli owner, and MTA LI Bus Driver John C. Schmidt.

Henrichs arrived for work at the deli around 5:15 a.m. and saw a little trash fire in the back of the store that began to crawl up a fence. His first inclination was to put the fire out with the hose that was just feet from the fire, but when he went for the hose so did the flames.

Unable to reach the hose Henrichs ran to the front of the deli entered the store and dialed 911. The call went through, but was disconnected when the phone suddenly died.

Henrichs grabbed a handful of quarters and ran to the pay phone across the street where he called 911.

It was at this time Schmidt, an MTA LI Bus operator for 32 years, arrived on the scene. He had started his route in Mineola at around 5:10 a.m. At about 5:20 a.m. Schmidt saw smoke, stopped his bus and contacted his radio dispatcher Bob Cornell.

"Communications are essential in this kind of situation," said MTA LI Bus spokesperson George Haber. Cornell contacted the police and fire departments and apprised them of the situation.

The two men ran inside to the two upstairs apartments, Henrichs to the left and Schmidt to the right. The duo furiously pounded on the apartment doors and rang the door bells waking those inside.

Inside one of the apartments slept Julio Flores, his brother and a friend, all of whom work at the Garden City Hotel.

"I heard somebody knock on the door and ring my bell," said Flores, "When I woke up I saw through my window (in the back) the fire."

"Everything was crazy," said Henrichs,"we just wanted to get those people out of there." Everyone, including the two medical students who occupied the other apartment, fled to the street.

The 54-year-old Schmidt, overcome by the heat and smoke, was treated with oxygen at the scene, taken to Winthrop-University Hospital treated and released.

One fireman was also taken to the hospital, treated and released after debris fell in his face while he was fighting the fire.

As Flores stood on the street in a pair of jeans obtained from his brother's car pulled over his pajamas, he was happy that everyone was safe, but he was still physically shaken from the incident that began five hours before.

"We are worried," he said, "I don't know where to live."

An answer was provided by American Red Cross Spokesperson Devera Lynn and Disaster Services Coordinator Molly Lew, who were both on the scene. Lew interviewed the displaced residents in order that the Red Cross be able to provide them with the food, medicine, shelter and counseling that they will need.

Lynn added that the Red Cross would also be providing assistance to another family, two adults and three children, who had been evicted from a neighboring apartment.

Lynn emphasized the importance of the Red Cross' involvement in incidents such as this, when it seems as though the victims have nowhere to turn, the Red Cross provides the much needed assistance.

Also on the scene and offering the services at his disposal was Mineola Mayor John P. Colbert who was notified of the fire by the MFD that morning and raced over to the scene.

"It is devastating to see a business eradicated in a matter of minutes," said the mayor. "They (Henrichs) are a fine family and hopefully they will have the resources to bring the stores back. We will do all we possibly can for them."

After leaving the site, the mayor went to meet with representatives from the 3rd Precinct, the Nassau County Arson Squad and the Fire Marshall to discuss the series of fires. The situation is currently under investigation.

"What has been shown here today, is the quality of our firefighters," commented the mayor on what could be concluded upon after the remarkable series of events. Additional praise for Henrichs and Schmidt came from both Colbert and DeStefano on their life-saving acts of heroism.

Deli owner and Mineola resident for the past 30 years William Henrichs said, "(The Henrichs family) would like to thank the Mineola Fire Department and the police department for a quick response, also special thanks for Mayor Colbert, our neighbors and friends such as the Haddock family for their support."

Henrichs, who has owned Kuck's Deli since 1972, plans to re-build his deli and continue its legacy in Mineola, eventually passing it on to his son.

Colbert said that it is the mayor's job to coordinate the agencies and provide the best service for those in need. During the entire ordeal the local agencies demonstrated their strength and unity in such a notable fashion proving beyond a shadow of a doubt the strength of the communities' heart.