A three-alarm fire early Wednesday morning ravaged a row of homes, leaving one person dead and three others — including a pair of Nassau County cops — suffering from smoke inhalation, officials said.
The Bellmore Fire Department was dispatched to the blaze shortly after 4:30 a.m., when firefighters found “a fully involved house with encroachment to a neighboring house,” officials said on Facebook.
“Multiple units are staged and operating on Bellmore Ave. at Chapman Ave.,” the department said in a follow up post. “Please proceed with caution.”
It took at least 100 firefighters from a dozen Long Island departments needed more than 90 minutes to get the massive fire under control, News12 reported.
Bellmore Fire Chief Eric Ozechowski told the outlet that firefighters were told at the scene that one resident was trapped inside the home at 116 Chapman Ave., which was fully involved.
“[We] got dressed and made an attempt to locate the victim,” the chief said. “We, unfortunately, could not find the victim who was there. We were pushed out by heavy heat and heavy fire.”
Nassau County fire officials told News12 a second person inside the house was pulled out alive and rushed to a local hospital, where two county cops were also treated for smoke inhalation.
Two other homes were damaged.
“I saw the house across the street fully engulfed in flames and we came running downstairs and we watched it jump from one house to another house,” neighbor Kathie Tinucci told the outlet.
No firefighters were hurt while snuffing out the fire.
Authorities have not released the identity of the resident who died, and have not revealed what may have caused the deadly fire.
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