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Smithtown FD-Four die in house fire on Darling Avenue

April 3, 1960 2 Darling Avenue. Three small sisters and their 34 year old aunt perished early today in a fire that destroyed the home of their grandparents. The elderly grandparents were able to escape the fire. The dead were Patricia 5, Margaret 4 and Mary 2. All are daughters of Mr. and Mrs. William Long. Saramay Long, 34, the girls aunt also died. Firemen were unable to determine how the fire started. This was the third fire on Long Island in less than 6 months where four or more people have died.

The Smithtown and Nesconset Fire Departments fought this fire. Chief of Department and OIC was Norman McBurney. McBurney stated that the fire started in the living room and spread via interior stairway, cutting off the escape route from the 2nd floor. The bodies were charred beyond recognition. Saramay was an organist at the Smithtown Presbyterian Church. The parents of the children were staying with friends in Selden. The parents and children were supposed to move into a new house on the day after the fire. Photo by ZImmerman appears in April 7, 1960 Smithtown News.

From Franklin P. Micciche A sad chain of events involved in this fire which could not have prevented the tragic loss of lives but brought about safeguards in the dispatch system that probably saved many.
My best childhood friends Roy and Robert Bishop lived next door to the Longs and we knew them all. Their father Bob Bishop tried to access the second level via his ladder but it was fully involved within minutes. I vividly recall seeing the ruins the following morning but what I also remember are the stories regarding that fire.
My aunt Lil was working the Telephone Company switchboard that night. She received a frantic call that a house was on fire and no one was answering at the fire department direct line. The phone went dead before the location was learned.
Aunt Lil was unsuccessful in contacting the dispatcher as well. She immediately called ex-chief and phone company technician Ernie Wilcox at his home directly behind the firehouse. He awakened the dispatcher on his way to the Maple Ave phone office. The alarm was sounded and Ernie checked phone system relays to determine the call came from Darling Ave.
Not knowing a specific address Darling Ave resident Jimmy Valentine was called to step outside to see if anything was visible. He saw the inferno at the far end of the street and as the firemen got on the trucks they knew where to go.
Shortly after that a redundant “Dead Man” system was created which if all else failed sounded the siren.
Another interesting story from my father. The hose lay from the hydrant on the far end of the street came up 5 feet short. They couldn’t move the first due pumper operating off it’s tank and very involved. The solution came by tieing the line to a truck and pulling it. It stretched enough to make the connection.
That fire was what gave me at age 8 a real understanding of how tragic a blaze can be. I became aware of what firefighters really do and the knowledge that some day I would be part of that.
As a local businessman and living close to the station during my time in SFD, I was almost always on the first due apparatus. Needless to say I experienced many workers and as an EMT, some nasty scenes. What I’m most proud of was my role in presenting fire escape and safety planning to local elementary schools. I was on one Terry Rd fire where a parent sought me out because her son made sure the family knew what to do. One of the most touching moments of my life considering the severity of the fire.
I can’t help but wonder if the Long family had that knowledge they may have survived.
In this time of extreme medical risk to our firefighters and ambulance personnel you can be proud and humbled by the role you play and the risks you take for the citizens you care for.

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