FREEPORT, NY, FEB. 1, 2012 – Two workers were removing a fuel tank when an explosion took place, severely burning them. The Freeport Fire Department responded to a report of multiple boats on fire. Upon arrival, several large boats were involved, all of them longer than 25 feet. Most of the large boats were 31, 35, 38 and 50 feet in length. All of the stored boats in the area were shrink-wrapped and stored on ground level. Nearby numerous other large boats were stored on elevated racks.
Several tower ladders were requested to protect the elevated boats that were being threatened. Two tower ladders, a ladder pipe and eight handlines of various sizes were put in operation. Foam lines were established to battle the melting fiberglass. The fire area consumed 7,000 square feet. The response included 128 Freeport fighters and numerous mutual aid companies that responded to the scene or covered stations.
It took about one hour to control the fire, which destroyed 14 boats of the 80 boats in the marina. The mid-afternoon caused millions of dollars in damage. The two workers burned in the incident spent two weeks in a burn center.
— Harvey Eisner
Harvey Eisner | Editor Emeritus
HARVEY EISNER was named Editor Emeritus of Firehouse® after serving 15 years as Firehouse's Editor-in-Chief. He joined the Tenafly, NJ, Fire Department in 1975 and served as chief of department for 12 years. He was a firefighter in the Stillwater, OK, Fire Department for three years while attending Oklahoma State University. Eisner was an honorary assistant chief of the FDNY and program director for the Firehouse Expo, Firehouse World and Firehouse Central conferences. He covered many major fires and disasters and interviewed numerous fire service leaders for Firehouse®
