Investigators have determined that it was a car fire that led to a five-alarm blaze that consumed an Old Brookville mansion Wednesday night, leaving one firefighter hospitalized with heat exhaustion, a fire official said Thursday.
About 150 firefighters from 23 departments took turns working half-hour shifts at the Linden Lane residence, relieved by colleagues waiting along the fire perimeter, Nassau County Assistant Chief Fire Marshal Michael F. Uttaro said.
The blaze started in the garage at about 8:15 p.m. and later jumped to the home, Old Brookville police said.
"The female owner came home, pulled into the garage and went about her business, then said she heard some noises, popping noises, and discovered the car on fire in the garage," Uttaro said.
Uttaro said the woman told investigators that she had turned off the car, described as a Nissan sedan, before she'd exited the vehicle. The fire, which also damaged other vehicles in the garage, has been ruled non-suspicious.