On Sunday morning May 15, 2005 at 4:20 AM the Mastic Beach Fire received an alarm for a signal 13 at 295 Whittier Drive.

First Chief on scene was Chief Jeff McGown who was informed that there were three pit bulls in and on the property.

Captain Anthony Capersino was next on scene, and as the scene was being sized up by Chief McGown the occupants of the home who were on the front lawn interfering by cursing at him and Captain Capersino while Chief McGown was trying to talk to County Control on his portable radio

Chief McGown had told all non emergency people to leave the property or be subject to arrest by Suffolk County Police for hindering fire operations and he requested a police officer to order occupants removed from the area of the fire.

When the police ordered the people to move away from the front of the property Chief McGown was able to communicate with County Control and request a signal 24 to Mastic Fire Department for a pumper to the scene.

The first unit on scene was Unit 2 a 1250 Gal Per Min tanker/pumper driven by Ray T. with a crew that stretched two lines to the front of the house where the major fire was.

During the firefighting of the house the occupants of the home were near unit 2 making nasty remarks about the firemen fighting the blaze and at one point a pit bull got loose from the occupant that was holding and that caused another threat to the firefighters were getting control of this fire.

Needless to say this fire had it's complications what with pit bulls and cursing at from the resident and one person that it was said don't even live there and was said to be a homeless person visiting.

While firemen were packing hose back one of the pit bulls jumped at the firemen and bit onto the hose that was being packed causing firemen to stop while a police officer was called over and one of the residents tried pulling the dog off but it took awhile before the pit bull let go of the hose and police made the residents move away again so firemen can do their job.