Mom, infant daughter critical after fire

A mother and her infant daughter were hospitalized in critical condition Wednesday after a fire at their Hempstead home in which five family members were injured, officials said.

Hempstead Deputy Fire Chief Charles Hendry said Natasha Reed, 25, had burns to 11 percent of her body. Her daughter suffered burns to 5 to 10 percent of her body. They were taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow.

The mother's 3-year-old son was taken there as well. He was treated for smoke inhalation and released, officials said. Reed's parents, who also live at the house, were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.

Reed, 6-month-old Celeste Reed, 3-year-old Gavin Reed, and Reed's parents, who were not identified, ages 72 and 73, were already outside their Cape style home at 6 Edgewood Court when the first firefighters arrived at about 4:15 p.m., officials said.

Shelley Lotenberg, a spokeswoman for the medical center, said Natasha Reed was in critical condition in the hospital's burn unit, and the infant daughter was in critical condition in the intensive care pediatric unit.

Hendry said the cause of the fire is under investigation by the Nassau County Fire Marshal. But he said it appeared the fire started in a second-floor kitchen. Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to that area, although there was smoke throughout the two-story wood-framed building. It was unclear how much damage was done to the home.

"We had maybe 50 firefighters," Hendry said, "and the fire was out in like 15 minutes."

About a dozen fire trucks from four departments responded to the alarm, he said.