Dix Hills FD Rescues and Revives Man from House Fire

The Dix Hills Fire Department responded to reports of a house fire with a victim trapped on Saturday night, April 4, 2015, at about 11:25 p.m. First arriving firefighters quickly located the man just outside the bedroom, and pulled him to safety through the front door of the one-story home. The patient was in cardiac arrest and revived by Dix Hills Rescue Squad EMS personnel who administered CPR, and then a cyanide antidote kit to reverse the effects of smoke inhalation. The elderly patient was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip. One Dix Hills firefighter suffered a hand laceration battling the blaze and was transported to Huntington Hospital. Another firefighter was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. A pet dog and cat perished in the fire. The Dix Hills Fire Department received assistance from the Deer Park, Greenlawn, Huntington Manor, Melville, Commack and North Babylon fire departments, and the Brentwood Legion and Wyandanch-Wheatley Heights Ambulance Corps. About 70 firefighters and rescue personnel were on the scene with nine trucks and four ambulances, and had the fire under control within 40 minutes, under the command of Chief Robert Fling, with operations support by Assistant Chiefs Tom Napolitano and Joe Williamson. The Suffolk Police Arson Squad and Huntington Town Fire Marshal are investigating the cause of the fire. This is the eighth working house fire that the Dix Hills Fire Department has responded to this year, with the last one occurring on March 31, 2015.

Story & Photos by Steve Silverman