Dix Hills house fire kills 1 person in Talisman Drive basement apartment, injures 6

One person was killed and six others, including five emergency responders, suffered non-life-threatening injuries in an early morning house fire in Dix Hills, Suffolk police said.

The fire was reported in a 911 call at 3:28 a.m. on Tuesday and first responders were met by a woman who told them her daughter lived in a basement apartment in the Talisman Drive home.

Emergency crews tried to get into the apartment but were driven back by the fire, police said. The victim was later found dead in the basement, police said. The victim's identity was not released.

The fire was brought under control within about an hour, under the scene command of Dix Hills Fire Chief Thomas Napolitano.

Authorities said a woman, 85, was transported to Huntington Hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries, while three police officers were also transported to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.

Two Dix Hills firefighters were also injured and transported to Huntington Hospital, Dix Hills Fire Department spokesperson Drew Silverman said. The treatment status of the firefighters was not immediately available Tuesday. 

The police officers were treated and released, officials said.

Police said while the cause of the fire remains under investigation, initial indications are it was "non-criminal" in nature.

Police are asking anyone with information on the fire to call Homicide Squad detectives at 631-852-6392.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.