Historic Mansion Catches Fire In Glen Cove

GLEN COVE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - Numerous fire departments converged to battle a fire in a historic mansion in Glen Cove Wednesday morning.

The fire broke out at around 10:30 a.m., at 70 Crescent Beach in Glen Cove, according to the Nassau Fire Department.

A volunteer firefighter on the property to plow first spotted the flames, CBS2's Vanessa Murdock reported.

About 100 firefighters from at least eight towns responded to help fight the fire.

Thick smoke could be seen coming from the first and second story of the structure, which was previously known as Winfield Hall.

The fire spread through a void in the walls and went all the way up the attic, Murdock reported.

"It was blowing out the two bottom windows extending to the second floor windows," Glen Cove Fire Chief Joe Solomito said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, according to CBS2's Jim Smith.

There's no word as to whether anyone was home at the time of the fire or what caused the blaze.

Winfield Hall is one of the former homes of businessman F. W. Woolworth. It was built in 1916 and cost $9 million to construct, Smith reported.

North Shore historian Paul Mateyunas said the fire is a bit ironic; the original home burned in 1916, which is when Woolworth rebuilt it as it stands today. It was restored in 2010.

"He actually had the house rebuilt, ironically, to be fireproof, so he constructed the entire house out of marble. The staircase alone is one of its most arresting features and it's estimated to cost $2 million," Mateyunas said.

The elaborate home with silver and bronze light fixtures and original plaster work now sits with a majority of it believed to be charred and destroyed.

"If you were to restore it completely, probably in the tens of millions of dollars," Mateyunas said.

"The materials and the craftsmanship that went into the construction of this house just can't be replicated in this day and age, so any type of damage is absolutely a loss to the history of this period," Jason Crowley with the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities told WCBS 880's Alex Silverman.

CBS2 reported the restoration could take up to a year.

The private residence was used as a location for the HBO miniseries "Mildred Pierce."

Editor's note: Flame video provided by Tom Kenary, Jr.