Three injured in Baldwin home fire sparked by explosion

A Baldwin homeowner was critically injured Sunday in a fire sparked by an explosion in his garage, Nassau police said.

Steven Haber, 52, of Central Avenue, suffered serious burns in the blaze, which was set off around 11:57 a.m., investigators said. He was taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, where he was listed Sunday in critical but stable condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

According to police, Haber was working with machines in his detached garage when the explosion occurred. The fire may have started from a spark emitted by one of the appliances, authorities said.

Madelon Knoerzer, 79, who lives across the street, said the burst rocked her home. "Oh, heavens, the house shook," said Knoerzer, who went outside and saw Haber sitting on his front lawn, moaning.

Others said they urged Haber to take care as he tried to put out the flames with a blanket. "He was doing his damnedest to protect his property," said neighbor Jerry Hanson, who rushed from his house on an adjacent street when he saw the smoke. "Everyone was fighting with him - 'Get down! Get down!' "

The Baldwin Fire Department extinguished the blaze, officials said. The Nassau Emergency Hazardous Materials Response Team, Nassau police, and Town of Hempstead Building Department code enforcement agents also responded to the scene.

Haber's wife and a son were treated for injuries at NUMC and released, police said.

The Nassau police arson squad and the Nassau fire marshal's office have deemed the explosion an accident, a police spokesman said.

Neighbors said Haber is a former mechanic who often helps repair vehicles.

"He's the type of person that if you walk outside and start pulling weeds, he walks across the street to help," said Dean Dimatos, 46, a neighbor for more than a decade.

Sunday, a pickup truck sat in the home's driveway, its hood raised and its front tires set on platforms. Residents picked up charred gas tanks and debris from the lawn and placed them in the backyard.

Haber is considered the unofficial mayor of Baldwin, said Gina Dimatos, 41, Dean's wife. "Everyone who knows him jokes he should be the mayor," she said. "The man loves his house, and he was just doing his thing."