Investigation into West Babylon house fire that injured 2 firefighters

ByCandace Mccowan WABC logo
Sunday, January 15, 2017
2 firefighters hurt in West Babylon house fire
Candace Mccowan has more from West Babylon.

WEST BABYLON, Long Island (WABC) -- Authorities are investigating the cause of a house fire in West Babylon Saturday that left two firefighters injured.

Police and firefighters responded to a fire at a home on Arnold Avenue shortly after 4 p.m.

Donna Valdner heard a noise and knew something was not right. When she and her neighbors came outside their front doors, they found the fire already burning out of control.

"I saw flames coming out of what appeared to be the upper portion of the house, and it quickly started to spread, and the flames got higher and higher," Valdner says.

"The flames had to be 100 feet in the air - easy," added Samantha Tarantino.

It took a few moments, but word finally came that the women who live inside the home made it okay.

As firefighters battled the blaze that started on the second floor and rose through the roof, some live wires fell on their truck.

Two firefighters were hurt - one was taken to the hospital for a knee injury, the other suffered an unspecified minor injury. The fire marshal told Eyewitness News that everyone will be okay.

The flames were so intense, the home had to be torn down because of concerns about it collapsing.

Even though the fire is put out, the images and sounds of what the neighborhood witnessed is burned into their memory.

"I'm still shaking, because it can happen to anyone," Valdner said.


(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)