Centereach house catches fire, man found dead, cops say

Suffolk County police homicide and arson detectives are investigating a house fire in Centereach in which a man was found dead Wednesday afternoon.

Neighbors of the Minerva Lane home called 911 when they heard an explosion and saw flames at about 2:40 p.m., police said. A resident, Timothy Oskey, 50, was “found unresponsive, lying on the floor of the basement,” police said in a news release.

Centereach firefighters pulled Oskey from the house and he was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Ronkonkoma, Farmingville and Selden firefighters also helped put out the blaze.

Police said the death is not believed to be criminal in nature. The investigation is continuing.

No information was immediately available about the cause of the fire.