Bellmore fire kills 1, destroys 2 homes, officials say

One man was killed and three others injured after a major fire ripped through a Bellmore home early Wednesday and spread to a neighboring home, authorities said.

Both homes collapsed, officials said.

Police and firefighters responded to a call at 4:32 a.m. for a fire on Chapman Avenue, where they found the home engulfed in flames, officials said.

Nassau County Chief Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro said one man died in the fire and another person suffered smoke inhalation. The deceased victim's identity was not immediately released. Two police officers were being evaluated for smoke inhalation, he said.

Bellmore firefighters responded quickly to the scene and "despite valiant efforts to rescue the trapped occupant by the fire department and police officers," the victim could not be saved, Uttaro said.

The cause of fire remains under investigation and criminality had not been ruled out, he said.

Bellmore Fire Department Chief Eric Ozechowski said firefighters encountered heavy fire conditions upon arrival that spread to a neighboring home. The occupants of the second house self-evacuated, he said.

Both houses collapsed after being fully engulfed in flames, Uttaro said.

Ozechowski said his crews encountered difficult conditions, given the ice and cold and a hydrant covered in ice and snow that had to be dug out. The snow-encased hydrants have caused firefighters problems throughout the month.

Two Nassau police officers and the resident of the initial home that caught fire were transported to NUMC for minor smoke inhalation and evaluation. No other civilians or first responders were injured, Uttaro said.

The fire was brought under control within 90 minutes, Uttaro said.

Multiple fire departments from surrounding communities were called to the scene in what authorities termed a three-alarm fire. They included some 100 firefighters from East Meadow, Wantagh, North Bellmore, Massapequa, North Massapequa, Merrick North Merrick, Seaford, Freeport, Bethpage and Levittown.

Fire marshal investigators and Nassau detectives were working to determine the cause of the fire.

The Town of Hempstead Building Department responded to assess the damage.

Police and fire officials were still at the scene mid-morning, when the scope of the devastation was evident. 

The home in the center was most severely damaged, its roof and eastern side frame completely gone and exterior blackened.

The home to its east was also badly damaged, its roof gone and windows shattered.

A third house to the west was scorched by the intensity of the flames but was still intact.

Uttaro told Newsday that one man had been trapped in the center home, where the fire originated.

Bellmore firefighters were already in the area, attending to another incident, when the call of a trapped person came in, Uttaro said, adding they arrived "very quickly," in about two minutes.

Despite the rapid response, Uttaro said the "the fire was well developed before they even got here."

The house soon began to come apart and eventually collapsed into the basement.

Although Ozechowski reported that firefighters had to dig out a hydrant, it did not significantly slow rescue efforts.

"It did not lead to any injuries or the fatality, but it definitely made things a little harder, Uttaro said.

Four adult occupants to the easternmost house also self evacuated and were not injured.

Uttaro said the recovery process would be an "arduous task" because the deceased is still inside the collapsed home.

A police drone could be heard inspecting the ruins; a police K-9 unit was also deployed.

Yellow police tape blocked off the street to the public from the intersection of Chapman Street and Harris Court through Bellmore Avenue. A Nassau emergency management truck joined a large crane at the scene. A smaller National Grid crane was removing debris

Bernard Schultz, 77, who lives on Chapman Avenue, said he was awakened by flashing lights and sirens early Wednesday but couldn't see the flames. Outside, firefighters were in the street.

Schultz and his wife, Karen Schultz, 75, said they did not know the victims but were saddened to learn of the fatality. "It’s a tragedy," Bernard Schultz said. "And of course you don’t expect this to be coming so close to home."

"I’m really horrified," Karen Schultz said.

Susan and Joseph Martino live a few houses down from the fire and heard the sirens.

Joseph Martino, 69, went outside to see the house two doors down ablaze.

"It's just awful," Susan Martino said. "I feel so badly for everybody involved."

Susan Keogh, 72, lives a few blocks away and, she said, saw firefighters use a cherry picker to try and put out the fire.

"This is so awful," she said.

Keogh said she was concerned with all of the recent fires in the area and for her own house that was built in 1925.

Check back for updates on this developing story.