Homeowner, 84, killed in Plainview house fire, police say

An 84-year-old man was killed Saturday when a fire broke out in his Plainview home and he was unable to escape, authorities said.

Police did not identify the homeowner, saying in a release that two officers and a fire chief tried to enter the burning home but were overcome by flames and smoke.

Two men at the scene of the fire, at 182 Roxton Rd., said they saw smoke coming from the garage area of the house while driving by and stopped to help, authorities said.

They found a distraught woman out front saying her husband was inside and called 911 as the fire grew.

Plainview Fire Chief Robert Salerno said the department received multiple calls about the fire, saying someone was trapped inside.

The first chief on the scene was able to get into two rooms, but the fire was too intense to go farther into the house until more trucks arrived, Salerno said.

The victim was found as firefighters cleared the house, which the Plainview fire department described as a split level, ranch style home.

The Syosset, Hicksville, Jericho, Bethpage and Plainview fire departments responded to the blaze, the chief said.

The fire started about 2 p.m. and was under control by 3:18 p.m. The cause remains under investigation.

With Craig Schneider