Quick Action By Gerritsen Firefighters Saves Home From Being Consumed By Flames

Volunteer firefighters in Gerritsen Beach sprang into action Saturday and helped beat back a house fire before it grew into a blazing inferno and spread to nearby homes.

“When I got there, I was one of the first people there, heavy smoke was coming out just about all the windows,” said Doreen Garson, chief of Gerritsen’s volunteer fire department, the Vollies. “The fire was probably cooking for a few minutes, which is a long time for a fire. It could really destroy a whole house in a few minutes.”

Garson said the fire, which started just before 4pm in the back of a home near Dictum Court and Everett Avenue, could have been much worse if it had not been noticed by one of the fire house’s volunteers. The homeowners and most of the neighbors had gone out to enjoy the beautiful weather.

“There was nobody hanging out on the block like usual. One of our Vollies was walking nearby and he saw the smoke, so he went around and he called it in,” said Garson. “He could have just assumed that someone was burning leaves and it would have been much worse. Those houses are so close together.”

Garson said the Vollies responded within minutes of the call, and were soon joined by the FDNY. The fire was quickly extinguished, she said, but there was already extensive smoke and fire damage to home.

The FDNY said it is investigating the cause of the fire, which started near the kitchen and laundry room in the back of the house. However, Garson said she suspects the flames might have come from lint in the dryer.

“A lot of times, it’s lint in the dryer. We get quite a few house fires from that,” she said. “If you’re not home and you don’t smell it burning and put it out right way, it just gets worse.”