At 6:30am Center Moriches firefighters were requested to assist Brookhaven Firefighters at the scene of a house fire on Schenk Diver in Shirley.

Brookhaven firefighters were called to the Schenk Drive house at 6:22am. When firefighters arrived the 1st floor of the 2-story house was fully involved.

Center Moriches Firefighters were requested to stand-by at the Shirley fire with its Rapid Intervention Team. The Rapid Intervention Team or "RIT" team is a team of specially trained firefighters whose sole responsibility is to rescue fellow firefighters who become lost, trapped, disoriented or injured inside the fire building.

It took firefighters just over an hour to bring the blaze under control. The occupants in the house were able to escape the flames. A mother and 7 children were transported to a local hospital for evaluation of non-life-threatening injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Brookhaven Town Fire Marshalls Office and the Suffolk County Police Arson Squad.

Center Moriches Firefighters were back in service at 8am.