Two fires right around Christmas put a somber spin on the holiday season for some Mineola residents.

A fire on Dec. 23 left a man and woman in critical condition, both of whom continue to fight for their lives. The second fire, on Dec. 26, was far less serious, but the combination of Christmas calamities left some firefighters shaken.

"We haven't had a person die in a fire in over 14 years," said Mike DeStefano, second chief with the Mineola Fire Department. "We're having a psychologist come in from the county to talk to some of the guys, especially some of the younger guys. Even some of the seasoned guys, they've never seen anything like this."

A pot left on a burning stove is to blame for a fire which tore through an Arlington Street home early last Thursday morning, leaving two victims clinging to life.

The victims, a 54-year-old female and man in his late 40s, were stabilized at Winthrop-University Hospital and then transported to Nassau County Medical Center's burn unit. The woman was burned over 50 percent of her body and the man had burns on 30 percent of his body. Both victims were given little chance of survival.

The call came in at about 2:30 a.m. of a house fire at 108 Arlington Street, with a victim trapped on the roof. When DeStefano pulled up, a woman was on the roof ready to jump.

"When you hear something like that, you know there's trouble," DeStefano said. "The street was full of smoke. I called the dispatcher saying we had a working fire, a signal 10, with victims trapped."

The woman on the roof was being coaxed to stay put until trucks could arrive. A neighbor, Dennis Rawlings, had found a stepladder and climbed up. Unable to help her down, he kept her calm until the first truck arrived minutes later. The woman was treated for smoke inhalation at North Shore Hospital and released.

"Meanwhile, people were screaming that there were other people in the house," said DeStefano, who tried to find passable access to the building. "There was just way too much fire."

Once the trucks pulled up, engineers hooked up the hoses and began battling the blaze. Both victims were in cardiac arrest when pulled out. Volunteer firefighters worked to revive the male victim and Nassau County paramedics worked to revive the female.

"We got a pulse and they were sent to Winthrop and stabilized, and then sent to Nassau County Medical Center," DeStefano said. "They're clinging to life right now."

The fire marshal determined quickly that what caused the fire was a pot left burning on the stove, which ignited the cabinets above the range. As the cabinets collapsed and fell, the floor was ignited, spreading quickly to the rest of the first floor. The rest of the home was severely smoke damaged, but most of the fire damage was contained to the first floor.

About 85 firefighters responded, including the Garden City Park FAST team, which was on standby in the event that one of the firefighters went down in the building. The Williston Park company was also standing by to respond to other village calls.

Rawlings, as well as many of the firefighters, will be commended for their bravery and quick thinking.

"It was a good move on his part," DeStefano said of Rawlings.

The second holiday fire occurred Sunday around 4 p.m. at 233 Jackson Avenue. Although the fire marshal was unable to identify the cause, it is believed the blaze started underneath the kitchen sink of the first-floor apartment in the four-apartment complex.

"The kitchen is totally gutted and there is smoke damage through the entire building," DeStefano said. "It's just speculation, but there were all sorts of chemicals under the sink. Anything could have started it."

A female victim from the second floor was hospitalized for smoke inhalation and a firefighter was treated for a cut he received breaking into a window.

That the fires, especially the first, occurred so close to Christmas made it all the more tragic. However, DeStefano said many fire casualties can be prevented.

"It's important that everyone, if they don't already have them, install smoke detectors," he said. "If you have them, check the batteries, and if you don't, get it immediately."