A fire was reported on August 20 at the Milleridge Inn in Jericho, New York, sending scanner traffic and social posts racing around Long Island as people tried to figure out how serious the blaze was. The historic site at 585 North Broadway, better known as the Milleridge Inn, was described online as a building fire and a commercial fire, but no official fire department statement could be found.
The reports mattered because the venue is no ordinary local address. Built in 1672, the Milleridge Inn has long carried the weight of a landmark, and it now includes a 1,000-seat restaurant and the Shops at Milleridge Village. For anyone searching the name after hearing about the fire, the immediate question was not just whether flames were present, but whether a place tied to Long Island history had been damaged again.
Several online posts tried to fill in the blanks as the fire was unfolding. One person on the Long Island subreddit wrote, “There is currently a fire at the Milleradge inn. I'm listening to "Nassau County Fire - Battalion 7".” A Facebook group tracking Long Island fires listed “Jericho (Nassau) - Building Fire. Milldridge Inn 585 N. Broadway.” Another post said, “Signal 10 Jericho FD. Milleridge inn, fire on #1 exposure,” and described the incident as a commercial fire. One local comment added, “Sad, hope everyone got out safely! An historical house…”
What none of those posts could answer was the part that matters most: how the blaze started and how much damage it caused. The cause was still unknown in the material available, and no official statement from the fire department was found. Visuals of the fire were not shared online in the source, though one post said, “Still cooking,” and another later said, “All visible fire knocked down at 1006PM,” suggesting the visible flames were brought under control as the response continued.
The uncertainty also landed against a painful memory. In 2014, the restaurant at the Milleridge Inn closed after a fire destroyed the kitchen late at night, and that blaze was not believed to be suspicious. At the time, manager Bruce Davis said the fire was likely caused by a pan left on the stove and added, “Everything was directed into the kitchen, so nothing of our 1672-built house fell down. All our banquet rooms are all intact.” That earlier fire did not erase the building’s history, and the same is true now: the unanswered question is whether the August 20 blaze stayed contained, or whether it left lasting damage inside one of Jericho’s most recognizable properties.
