Smithtown house fire critically injures 82-year-old man

Smithtown firefighters battle a house fire on Oakside Drive on Saturday... — Smithtown firefighters battle a house fire on Oakside Drive on Saturday evening that left one occupant with serious burns. Credit: Joseph Sperber

By Alek Lewisalek.lewis@newsday.com @aleklewis99Updated July 12, 2026

A Smithtown home caught fire Saturday evening, leaving an 82-year-old resident with serious injuries, Suffolk County police said.

Suffolk police responded to a house fire at 115A Oakside Drive at about 5:54 p.m., according to a news release. When they arrived, they found the resident, Robert Barathy, 82, outside with serious burns and also suffering from smoke inhalation. Barathy was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital, police said.

Detectives from the Suffolk County Police Arson Section are investigating the fire, which authorities said is believed to be non-criminal.

By Alek Lewis

alek.lewis@newsday.com @aleklewis99

Alek Lewis covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island for Newsday. He previously worked as a reporter for RiverheadLOCAL, where he received awards from the New York Press Association and the Press Club of Long Island for his reporting on local government and politics. A Riverhead native, he is a graduate of Stony Brook University.

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