Bellmore fire kills 1, destroys 2 homes, officials say

A fast-moving house fire in Bellmore early Wednesday that spread to a neighboring residence left one man dead, three others injured and both dwellings destroyed, police and fire officials said.

The fire also spread to a third home, which sustained damage but remained standing.

First responders answered a call at 4:32 a.m. after the fire broke out at a home on Chapman Avenue. They arrived to find the home engulfed in flames and a man trapped inside, the authorities said.

"Despite valiant efforts to rescue the trapped occupant by the fire department and police officers," the man died in the fire, said Nassau County Chief Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro.

The Nassau police had not released man's name by late Wednesday but said he was 72. Another occupant of the home, a 69-year-old woman, was transported to a hospital in critical condition. Police have not yet released her name or any possible relation to the deceased man.

The fire quickly spread to a neighboring home whose four occupants were able to escape before flames engulfed the residence.

The cause of fire remains under investigation and criminality had not been ruled out, according to Uttaro.

Once at the scene, Bellmore firefighters dealt with a range of challenges, some typical for a house fire — thick, black smoke and flames leaping high into the air — but others the result of the cold. A fire hydrant covered in ice and snow had to be dug out before firefighters could attach a hose, said Bellmore Fire Department Chief Eric Ozechowski. Snow-encased hydrants have caused Long Island firefighters problems since a persistent cold snap that began in January and included a massive winter storm.

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

Two Nassau police officers were transported to Nassau University Medical Center for treatment of minor smoke inhalation.

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

He told Newsday the man who died had been trapped in the 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. Uttaro said the man who died remained inside the collapsed home Tuesday and removing his body would be an "arduous task."

Some 100 firefighters from Bethpage, East Meadow, Freeport, Levittown, Massapequa, Merrick, North Bellmore, North Massapequa, North Merrick, Seaford and Wantagh also responded to the blaze.

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

By mid-morning Wednesday, police and firefighters were still at the scene and the scope of the devastation was hard to miss. The middle of the three homes was most severely damaged, its roof and eastern side frame completely gone and the exterior blackened.

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

The flames scorched a third home to the west but it remained intact.

Bernard Schultz, 77, who lives on Chapman Avenue, said he was awakened by flashing lights and sirens 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."

Meanwhile, a police drone buzzed overhead 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

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."

Newsday's Nicholas Grasso contributed to this story.