7 injured in fire that gutted Valley Stream deli, police say

Six Nassau County police officers and one civilian were injured in a fire in Valley Stream that destroyed a deli, police said.

The fire gutted Crown Deli at 519 W. Merrick Rd., at the corner of Dale Place, and damaged an adjacent shoe and jewelry repair business.

Six police officers were treated and released from the hospital for smoke inhalation, police said. A civilian, identified as a 33-year-old man, was also treated for smoke inhalation and remained hospitalized in stable condition Sunday night, police said. 

Police said they got the call reporting the fire about 6:10 a.m. When they responded, they heard a male victim calling for help from the rear of the building, a police news release said. The officers got through a locked door using a forcible entry tool, entered the kitchen and retrieved the victim.

A call to a phone number listed for Crown Deli was not answered.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the county fire marshal and arson bomb detectives, police said. 

With Jim Staubitser and Nicole Fuller