A Look Back at the Furniture Store Fire of 1987

In the early evening hours the home radios of East Meadow firefighters for Station's 1 and 2 blared of a reported building fire at the Slim's Furniture store located on Hempstead Turnpike just East of Front Street.

Upon arrival, East Meadow Chiefs, under the direction of Chief James T. Darcey, immediately radio'd a Signal 10 (working fire). In short time, East Meadow dispatch began alerting the balance of East Meadows seven companies eventually bringing nearly 100 firefighters to the scene.

As volunteers arrived on the scene, Chief Darcey had already reported that the blaze was located in the basement and was rapidly advancing due to the large volume of furnishings and storage. In the early going, attempts were made to get to the seat of the fire with large 2.5" attack lines. Those efforts were soon called off as the safety of the firefighters became a more critical concern.

With all members now committed to the fire, Chief Darcey summoned a request for mutual aid from several neighboring Fire Departments. As the fire continued to advance into the first floor, East Meadow firefighters were forced to prepare for an attack from the sidewalk.

Just prior, a mutual aid request for the North Merrick Fire Department for their high expansion foam unit added to the assault. With the fire rapidly gaining on the first floor, fanned by strong winds coming from the west, the defensive mode established by Chief Darcey provided a safety net to ensure all members returned home that evening.

The cause of the fire, being undetermined at the time, was placed under the investigation of the Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office.