Hempstead man pulled from burning home

A 71-year-old Hempstead man was hospitalized in critical condition early Tuesday, suffering from burns and smoke inhalation after being pulled by firefighters from a burning home, Hempstead police and a hospital official said.

Two volunteer firefighters also were taken to a hospital, one with a shoulder injury and the other with an injured hand, according to police.

The fire at the home on Alicia Court was reported at 4:27 a.m. Volunteers from Hempstead, West Hempstead, South Hempstead, Uniondale, Baldwin, Roosevelt, Franklin Square and Elmont responded to the fire, police said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Mineola Volunteer Ambulance transported victims.

Police said the resident pulled from the home was taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow. A hospital spokeswoman said the patient underwent hyperbaric treatment for smoke inhalation -- then was admitted to the burn unit Tuesday afternoon in critical condition. The two firefighters were taken to Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola.

With Patricia Kitchen