April 14, 2026
A four-alarm fire ripped through a storage building at Big Valley Nursery on Cedar Swamp Road in Glen Head on Wednesday, April 8, injuring three firefighters and drawing roughly 150 responders from a dozen Nassau County fire departments. The three firefighters suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene. No civilian injuries were reported.
The Glenwood Fire Department received a 911 call at 8:14 a.m. reporting a fire in a storage building at Big Valley Nursery, located at 532 Cedar Swamp Road. The building housed landscaping and gardening supplies — the kind of inventory that can burn fast and hot once flames get going.
The fire spread rapidly, escalating through four alarms in short order. Thick smoke was visible from blocks away as crews arrived.
"I believe we went to four alarm — there was extensive fire throughout the building," Glenwood Fire Chief Donald Sinski told News 12 Long Island.
Corey DiGiacomo, who works nearby, described the scene: "You could smell it down the street, you could see it down the street."
About a dozen departments sent crews to the scene as the blaze escalated. The Glenwood Fire Department led the response, with mutual aid from Glen Cove, Jericho, Roslyn, Manhasset-Lakeville, Sea Cliff, Oyster Bay, East Norwich, Locust Valley, Albertson, Westbury, and Bethpage, according to the Long Island Press.
That kind of multi-department mutual aid response is standard for fires of this size on the North Shore, where volunteer departments rely on neighboring companies when a call goes beyond their capacity.
At one point during the firefight, crews entered the building to remove additional fuel sources that could have made things worse. Officials said the fire was brought under control within about two hours.
The storage building sustained severe fire damage, and portions of the structure collapsed during the blaze, according to Daily Voice. The flames were contained to the storage building and did not spread to other structures on the nursery's property.
Three firefighters were treated for minor injuries at the scene. None required hospital transport. No civilians were hurt.
Glen Cove Road and Cedar Swamp Road were shut down for roughly two hours between The Glen and Glen Head Road while crews worked the fire. If you drive that stretch regularly, you know how much of a chokepoint it can be even on a normal morning — the closures backed up traffic across the area until roads reopened in the afternoon.
Nassau County officials confirmed there are no ongoing air quality concerns for nearby residents.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Nassau County fire investigators have not released a determination as of this writing.
Big Valley Nursery has been a familiar name along Cedar Swamp Road for years, serving Glen Head and surrounding North Shore communities with gardening supplies, landscaping equipment, and outdoor power tools. The business can be reached at (516) 671-3262 for updates on operations.
