No working smoke detectors in fire that killed grandma, 4-year-old in New Hyde Park
NEW HYDE PARK, Long Island (WABC) -- Fire officials determined the fire that killed a grandmother and her 4-year-old granddaughter on Long Island was accidental.
The fire broke out just after 3 a.m. Sunday in a house on North 12th Street in New Hyde Park. The victim was apparently staying with her grandparents while her parents were out of town.
Officials say the house was fully engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived, and the fire was so intense it had blown out the doors and windows of the home.
The victims were later identified as 68-year-old Maria Karpinski and 4-year-old Brooke Schillizzi.
Another grandchild, a 10-year-old boy, escaped the fire by jumping out of a second-story window and landing on top of a car.
The boy ran across the street to get help from a neighbor's house.
"There were three people that were in the house, all did get transported to area hospitals," said New Hyde Park Fire Chief Brian Sherwood. "One child did come out the front window on his own. There was a car underneath that broke his fall, but he did get transported as well."
The grandfather, who was home at the time of the fire, survived. The parents of the children were out of town.
The fire is believed to have started from an unattended candle and no working smoke detectors were in the Nassau County home.
Several neighboring fire departments were called in to help. It took about 90 minutes to get the fire under control.
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