02/15/2007: Smithtown General Tire Blaze

SMITHTOWN, NY - A little before 2am on Thursday, February 15, 2007 the Hauppauge Fire Department was dispatched out for a working fire at Smithtown General Tire located at 890 West Jericho Turnpike in Smithtown. Multiple chiefs on scene advised units that they had a fully involved building with exposure problems.

Multiple units from surrounding fire departments were requested to the scene as units already on scene dealt with frozen hydrants due to the weather. Smithtown, Central Islip and Commack were requested for ladders while Commack and Kings Park were called in for F.A.S.T. teams. Nesconset and East Brentwood were requested to standby at Smithtown’s Fire Headquarters. Kings Park also sent in one of their ambulances to standby at the fire scene.

At around 2:40am command reported that the main body of the fire had been knocked down with the building having totally collapsed due to extensive damage from the fire.

Heavy equipment was requested from the town to assist with demolition of the building so that firefighters could start the overhaul process.

Firefighters finally brought things under control around 4am. A few lines were kept charged while firefighters doused hot spots. With temperatures in the upper teens firefighters worked closely together to bring this blaze under control. Thick black smoke could be seen for miles due to the material on fire inside the building. At this time it is unknown as to the cause of the fire. The SCPD Arson team will be looking into things to come up with a determination.