Community Corner

Amid Fire, Smoke, The Maples Welcomes All

Local Manorville bar sees some regulars, and some not-so-regulars, as Long Island's biggest brush fire in 17 years raged around the corner.

Outside of The Maples, dozens upon dozens of fire trucks rolled by. Lights flashed into its windows, sirens blared to warn people on the ground they were coming through, and firefighters sat on the pavement in front of the bar, one even laying down from exhaustion.

Inside, the weekly billiards league shot pool. A waitress tried to find the Yankees game on the big screen. At a far end of the bar, on a small television with two vacant seats in front of it, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone updated the county on Long Island's , which raged less than a half mile away.

"Hey, I can't fight fires," said Pat LaMattina, a North Mastic resident shooting pool.

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Sitting at the bar, Heather Collura was hoping that those who were fighting the fire, were. Her home and six acres of land, on North Road in Manorville - right around the corner from The Maples, filled will lines of fire trucks heading up Schultz Road one by one - was across the street from the fire, which was reportedly a few hundred yards in the woods on the other side.

"We seem to be OK," said Collura, a teacher off of work for the week. She spent the day in Huntington, but upon hearing the news, came back to check on her home. After heading home for a bit, Collura ate a burger while she plotted her next move, unsure. 

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"I'm still very concerned," she said. "I'll probably walk back home and check on things in a little bit and see what's going on."

Bartender Casi Castaldo said she was surprised they were open at all, but wondered at the business. "It's been crazy," she said.

Collura left to check on her home while Jared Schaefer checked his iPhone for photos coming in from his daughter, who was keeping an eye on their horse at the farm across the street from Collura's home. 

"If it gets close, she'll just ride him out of there," he said.

Firefighters shuffled in and out occasionally to use the restroom. A couple of Miller Place firefighters stepped up to the bar.

"We'll have six burgers please," said Eric Olsen. The bar asked Olsen and fellow firefighter Mike Brunet what they'd seen in the area. 

"We've been marching east all day," Olsen said. "It's been interesting, fun."

Another firefighter came in and asked for some hot sauce for his burger. "Like it isn't hot enough," said another.


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