Roslyn Condo Fire Draws 100 Firefighters - Dozens Left Homeless

By Mark Demetropoulos

A tragic holiday season fire swept through the Acorn Ponds Condominium Complex on Chestnut Hill in Roslyn, leaving a dozen families homeless and drawing over 100 firefighters to the scene to douse the raging fire.

The fire broke-out in the early afternoon, several days after Christmas, and the very first responders arrived in time to save the many elderly residents. No one was killed in the fire, although several residents were sent to the hospital for smoke inhalation and other medical concerns.

The Manhasset Lakeville Fire Department was the first responder on the scene. They, along with the police, arrived on the scene roughly around 3PM.  Two other local fire departments which – totaling nearly 100 firefighters - spent over two hours fighting the blazing flames as smoked poured out of the ground floor garage.

“When you have a fire of this magnitude under occupied space, we're just very happy that nobody was hurt,” stated Nassau County Fire Chief Marshal Michael Uttaro. “Property can be replaced, lives can't.”

The firefighters went inside the building, from condo to condo, and to alert and lead the residents to safety.

The heroic efforts of the firefighters “kept the fire contained on the ground floor,” according to Fire Chief Uttaro.

In addition to the Nassau County Fire Marshal's office, Nassau Arson and Bomb Squad detectives responded just to make sure that this fire was not a terror act. It was not – however, that is another example of Nassau’s first responders going above and beyond the call of duty.

Also assisting the effort was the American Red Cross who arrived to tend to the distraught and displaced families.