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| | | Terryville Fire Chief Tim Bonacum confers with Port Jefferson FD Chief Fred Leute at the scene of the Daughters of Wisdom convent fire Sunday. Courtesy Dennis Whittam/Terryville FD
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January 12, 2009 | 08:56 AM
A lighted candle ignited a Christmas decoration and caused an accidental fire Sunday at the Daughters of Wisdom convent on the grounds of St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, according to a Suffolk police press release.
The Port Jefferson Fire Department, led by Chief Fred Leute, responded to an alarm from St. Charles Hospital security personnel and, upon arriving, found one of the sisters standing in front of the convent, which was partially engulfed in flames. A second nun was rescued from the first floor by firemen, police stated.
Both women were transported to Stony Brook University Medical Center where it was determined that their injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.
Leute said hospital security guards Eric Surbito and Tom Connors entered the burning building and brought the nun to the bottom of the stairs, where Port Jefferson Fire Department Chiefs Jim Makarius Jr. and Dave Williams removed her to safety.
Terryville Ambulance took one of the victims to Stony Brook hospital; Port Jefferson Ambulance transported the other.
Leute said the damage to an extension of the convent was "almost total," while the main body of the residence sustained "significant but repairable" damage.
Leute estimated that a total 85 volunteers responded to the scene, including about 45 from the Port Jefferson Fire Department. Terryville and Setauket Fire Departments assisted with firefighters and equipment, while Stony Brook FD covered the Port Jefferson district by stationing a fully staffed engine at the Maple Place firehouse.
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