A serious fire caused extensive damage to a house on Salisbury Road in Westbury last Monday, April 2, after flames from a kitchen fire spread thoughout the first and second floors of the home.

Approximately 75 firefighters worked for approximately 45 minutes to extinguish the blaze. One resident suffered minor smoke inhalation.

Richard Dellacona, the newly elected chief of the Westbury Fire Department, was the first to arrive on the scene. "An elderly woman was cooking, and apparently, she was cooking in a pan with oil, and she left it on the stove and forgot about it. And the next thing she knew, the kitchen was involved in fire," said Dellacona. "Her grandson was also in the house, and he tried to extinguish the fire and couldn't do it, and he called 911."

The call was dispatched to the Westbury Fire Department at approximately 7:30 p.m. Westbury received mutual aid from the Carle Place, East Meadow and Hicksville fire departments. The house is located at 2317 Salisbury Road, in the Salisbury section of Westbury.

"The house was fully involved in fire. There was heavy fire on the first floor, and heavy smoke, and heavy smoke showing from the second floor. Then, there was heavy fire on the second floor, within minutes of my arrival," Dellacona said, describing the scene.

"We immediately stretched three hose lines, and started to extinguish the fire. One line went up to the second floor, two lines stayed on the first floor, and then we proceeded with ventilation of the windows and the roof. And then eventually put it out," he added. "Fortunately, the fire did not extend to any nearby structures. There were houses on two sides, but they weren't damaged."

During the fire, a young male resident of the house suffered minor smoke inhalation, and was treated with oxygen. The blaze, which caused extensive damage to the house, had the potential to cause even greater harm, according to Dellacona.

"This was a very serious fire. It had the potential, of course, of spreading or killing someone," he said. "It could have caused the nearby houses to catch on fire because of the flames shooting out, and the severe heat."

The house was so severely damaged that a trailer had to be placed on the site of the home for the residents' use. In addition, the Nassau County Red Cross is trying to find alternate housing for them.

Because every second counts in firefighting operations such as this one, the chief urged local residents to call the Westbury Firehouse directly when reporting fires, rather than 911, in order to save crucial time. The direct emergency phone number for reporting fires to the Westbury Fire House is 334-7924. "Going through 911 causes a delay, because it has to go from the 911 operator, to the Nassau County FireCom operator, to our dispatcher," Dellacona commented.

In other news from the Westbury Fire Department, the department's new chiefs were elected on April 5. Chief Richard Dellacona replaces Chief Lawrence Tamney, while First Assistant Joseph Pascarella, replaces Dellacona, and Second Assistant Chief George Perrin was elected to fill that previously vacant office. Installation of the chiefs will take place May 5 at the Swan Club in Northport. The Westbury Fire Department has approximately 130 members, with 17 pieces of firefighting apparatus (trucks, cars, etc.). The department covers the second largest fire district in Nassau County.