Tuesday, June 24 was no ordinary day for Marcellus Road resident Bill Gilberg and it's not just because it was his birthday. It was Gilberg's quick thinking that helped his longtime neighbor possibly avert a disaster.

When Gilberg, a resident of 341 Marcellus Road, was leaving his home on that morning to go to his job in the Mineola School District Transportation Department, he smelled smoke coming from his neighbor's home.

Gilberg said he knocked on the door and then saw his neighbor at the side of the house. Gilberg went inside his home to grab a fire extinguisher while his wife called the fire department. When he came back out, he saw a lot of smoke. According to the Mineola Fire Department, there was a fire in the rear bedroom of the house.

Gilberg's neighbor's wife was at a second-floor window, where she was throwing her cat out of the window to safety. Gilberg said the woman couldn't get out of the house. Gilberg then went to the side of his house, grabbed his ladder and brought it around to the front of his neighbor's house where he extended it up the window so his neighbor's wife could get out. "I told her how to get out, that's all," he said. "It all just happened so fast. Within three minutes, the whole thing was done."

Gilberg said his main focus was to make sure everyone was out of the house. "When I first came out, there was a little bit of smoke coming out of the window. When I came out of my house [after going to get the fire extinguisher] less than a minute later, there was a lot of smoke and it was black. This was a lot further along than I thought," he said.

Gilberg said he has lived next door to the couple for 30 years.

The Mineola Fire Department provided the following narrative:

At the time of the fire, Paul Sokol, an ex-captain with the New Hyde Park Fire Department, was traveling along Jericho Turnpike when he heard the call go out. He began to head towards the smoke.

Sokol arrived on scene and quickly donned his fire gear, which he carries in his car. He entered the burning home and ascended the stairs, where he saw a large body of fire burning in the rear bedroom.

The fire was advancing out of the room and heading straight for the attic stairs. As an experienced firefighter, Sokol knew that once if this fire got into the hallway it would be difficult if not impossible to save the house from total destruction. Despite the fact that he did not have breathing apparatus, he took decisive action and crawled toward the open bedroom door. He was able to get the door closed and effectively confine the fire to the rear bedroom. Sokol then used a garden hose to keep the door cool as Mineola firefighters arrived on the scene.

Mineola Fire Department first assistant chief Robert Connolly pulled onto Marcellus Road as smoke was enveloping the street. Police officers on the scene confirmed that all five occupants of the home were now out. Connolly immediately transmitted a Signal 10 "Working House Fire" and advised responding units that they were responding to a second floor fire. Connolly entered the house and met Sokol, who was continuing to attempt to hold the fire with a garden hose. As conditions deteriorated, Connolly and Sokol went back down the stairs to meet the arriving companies.

Mineola Fire Department Ladder 165 arrived on scene with captain Jeff Clark, lieutenant Matt Grilo and a crew of firefighters. Clark assigned Grilo to lead the entry team, which included firefighters Matt Sanderleaf and Carl T. Nunziata to the second floor to locate the fire and search for any other victims.

The Mineola Fire Department Roof Team, which included firefighters Chris Franz and Scott Strauss, placed portable ladders and entered the room above the fire to search for victims and check for extension of the fire.

Engine 161 pulled up and lieutenant Joseph Monez directed his crew of firefighters Andrew Marotta, Mike Marotta, Ryan Traina and Brian Santosus to stretch a hose line to the second floor. Engine 167 also arrived on scene and lieutenant Bill Symington coordinated the stretching of a second hose line to back up the initial attack line.

The aggressive interior attack by the engine company prevented the fire from progressing further into the structure. Bystanders were initially fearful as fire pushed from the rear windows and headed for the attic. The coordinated efforts between the engine and truck companies allowed the engine company to push deeper into the fire room and douse the flames. With the main body of fire knocked down, firefighters then opened up the walls and ceiling and checked for further extension of the fire.

The Mineola Fire Department was assisted at the scene by Williston Park Fire Department Ladder 862, Garden City Park Fire Department FAST Team on Engine 154, Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Corps and Nassau County Police officers/police ambulance.

Two of the occupants were transported to Winthrop-University Hospital with minor injuries. One firefighter suffered a minor injury and was treated at the scene.

Additional coverage was provided by Garden City Fire Department and New Hyde Park Fire Department, which provided standby units to protect the rest of Mineola during the incident. The Nassau County Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.