Hotel Evacuated After Car Fire Destroys Vehicles, Injures 1 in East Farmingdale

EAST FARMINGDALE, N.Y. - A cigarette dropped in a parked vehicle sparked the destructive fire that destroyed two cars and prompted the evacuation of an entire hotel on Sunday afternoon.

The blaze erupted just after 12:00PM in the parking lot of the Courtyard Republic Airport Marriott Hotel on Route 110, quickly engulfing a vehicle and spreading to a second parked nearby.

Credit: PNN

Credit: PNN

The fire prompted the immediate evacuation of the hotel as a precautionary measure. First responders from the East Farmingdale Volunteer Fire Company arrived on scene swiftly and were able to bring the flames under control.

One person suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

Credit: PNN

According to witnesses who spoke with Priority News Network (PNN), the owner of the vehicle initially attempted to put out the fire by running to get water. The flames intensified rapidly, ultimately consuming the entire vehicle and heavily damaging a second.

“We saw smoke coming from the car, and then the guy came back with water—but by then, it was too late,” a witness told PNN. “The flames just exploded out of the car.”

Credit: PNN

The hotel resumed normal operations shortly after firefighters deemed the area safe.