On Monday afternoon, April 13, Manhasset residents were met with the smell of smoke in the air. A fire broke out at Greentree, the former Whitney estate, at 3:45 p.m. According to fire officials, the brush fire started accidentally by landscapers working on the estate. The fire was called in by foundation officials.
The Greentree property covers approximately 400 acres and about three acres of brush burned according to Michael F. Uttaro, Nassau County assistant chief fire marshal. Over 200 firefighters from 17 companies managed to contain the fire within three hours.
The estate’s landscapers were working on cutting the lawn, high weeds and brush with a mower which sparked the fire. The fire was ruled accidental by Uttaro.
The rolling terrain, dense with trees complicated with high winds caused the fire to shift, making
is difficult for firefighters. One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion and another incurred a broken ankle. They were treated at North Shore University Hospital.
Firefighters were released from the scene around 9 p.m. after
putting out the last of the hot spots.
The Whitney estate stretches from Community Drive to Shelter Rock Road. The mansion was built in the early 1900s. None of the structures nor the mansion were affected by the fire.
