Residents escape fire that destroyed Catlin Avenue home in Roosevelt

A family managed to escape from a fire that ripped through their Roosevelt home Wednesday morning, authorities said.

Photographs of the 3:45 a.m. Catlin Ave. fire showed flames bursting through a second-floor window and engulfing the roof. 

In a news release, Nassau County police said residents had safely evacuated when officers and Roosevelt firefighters arrived. 

Firefighters from several area departments extinguished the fire without injuries, according to the release. 

Authorities determined the fire started when burning incense ignited a mattress in the home’s basement. Arson/Bomb Squad and the Nassau County Fire Marshal were investigating. 

The home’s residents could not immediately be reached. A voicemail left for the Roosevelt Fire Department chief was not immediately answered. 

Neighbor Fredrick May, a contractor, said the fire had unnerved him: “I made sure all the batteries in my smoke detectors were changed.”

Hours after the fire, he saw workers boarding up windows of the badly damaged home, May said. 

Check back for updates on this developing story.

By Nicholas Spangler

nicholas.spangler@newsday.comspanglernewsday

Nicholas Spangler is a general assignment reporter and has worked at Newsday since 2010.