Officer saves woman from Levittown fire

A 66-year-old Levittown woman was in critical condition at Nassau University Medical Center after a Nassau County police officer rescued her unconscious from her burning home yesterday morning.

Police have not released the identities of the woman or the officer. Police said the woman was nonresponsive when she arrived at the hospital, but her condition eventually stabilized. Hospital officials did not provide an update on her condition last night.

The fire was caused when a bed blanket came into contact with what the arson and bomb squad detectives and the Nassau Fire Marshal's Office called "a partially extinguished cigarette" left smoldering in an ashtray. That caused the mattress to catch fire, police said.

The fire at the home on Bobolink Lane was reported at 12:10 a.m. A man, 77, living in the house escaped and was outside the home when firefighters and police arrived. Police said the man was treated for smoke inhalation at a hospital and released.

An officer from the Eighth Precinct discovered the woman unconscious on the kitchen floor, picked her up and carried her outside, police said.

About 60 volunteers from the Levittown Fire Department fought the blaze with eight pieces of equipment. No firefighters or officers were injured in the fire.