Officials: Man, 86, dead in Woodmere house fire

An 86-year-old man was killed in an early morning fire in Woodmere, the Nassau County fire marshal's office and Nassau County police said.

The Dartmouth Lane fire was reported at 4:21 a.m.

The victim was identified as Sidney Bienenfeld, a resident of the home.

Firefighters from Hewlett, Inwood, Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Valley Stream, Lynbrook, Meadowmere Park and East Rockaway battled the blaze. One firefighter was taken to a hospital after feeling dizzy and suffering from shortness of breath, officials said. He was treated and released.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

At the home Thursday, where charred belongings spilled out of the garage and onto the lawn, a son of the victim declined to comment.

"He was a decent man. Shouldn't have died this way," said a next-door neighbor who wouldn't give her name.

The American Red Cross in Nassau County said the organization provided a $180 debit card for food and clothing to one of the victim's sons, who lived in the house part time, said Kenneth English, a Red Cross deputy director.

A mental health professional was also at the scene, English said. "We're trying to get a rabbi here to help the family," he said.