4th of July House Fire, Roadside Blaze Among Multiple Fireworks Incidents on Long Island

NASSAU COUNTY, N.Y. — Fire departments and police agencies across Nassau County responded to numerous fireworks-related fires throughout the Fourth of July, including a house fire in Bethpage and a roadside blaze in Hicksville, as officials dealt with a busy night of emergencies linked to holiday celebrations.

At approximately 9:45 p.m., the Hicksville Fire Department responded to New South Road near Commercial Place after two boxes of used fireworks caught fire on the side of the roadway behind a parked unoccupied tractor-trailer.

The incident occurred just blocks away from where the department had responded moments earlier to a separate house fire on Somerset Avenue that was reportedly caused by fireworks being recklessly discharged.

Before firefighters arrived, Good Samaritans from a nearby business grabbed a fire extinguisher and knocked down the flames as the fire slowly spread into the surrounding grass. Firefighters then used a water can to thoroughly extinguish the area and ensure no remaining embers could reignite.

Roughly 35 minutes later, at approximately 10:20 p.m., the Bethpage Fire Department was dispatched to the intersection of Robin Court and Manor Drive after fireworks ignited a fire at a residence.

Firefighters quickly brought the blaze under control. No injuries were reported.

The two incidents were among dozens of fireworks-related fires that kept first responders busy throughout Nassau County on Independence Day. Fire departments and police responded to fires involving trees, brush, grass, dumpsters and, in several cases, homes that were reportedly sparked by fireworks.

Many residents expressed growing frustration over what they described as increasingly reckless behavior during the holiday.

A Hicksville resident, who had been shopping at a Home Depot in Levittown early Sunday morning, said he witnessed dangerous activity involving fireworks throughout the night.

"You have kids who are shooting these fireworks at each other, and they're hitting homes in the process," he said. "This isn't what it used to be like when I was a kid. Where is the supervision?"

A Levittown business owner also described having to extinguish a fire after teenagers allegedly threw fireworks into a trash can outside his business.

"It's not fair that we have to deal with this every year," he said. "I'm just glad my property is fine. A trash can is easy to replace."

The exact number of fireworks-related fires reported across Nassau County on the Fourth of July has not been released.