Missing man found dead in burned out home after devastating fire in Island Park
ISLAND PARK, New York (WABC) -- A man who was missing after a devastating fire destroyed a home in Island Park in Nassau County, was found dead in the rubble.
The fire broke out in the home on Sunset Avenue just after 2 a.m. Monday.
Heavy rain and high winds fueled the flames and the structure was a complete loss.
"I smelled a fireplace, but that was strange, and sometimes people will burn the fireplace or use the fireplace but it was very strong, very quick, but it wasn't normal. So, I looked through the window and the neighbor's house was on fire," said Maggie Stovickova, a Long Beach resident.
She lives right across the street from the house that went up in flames.
The fire became so intense that the siding of a next door neighbor's house caught fire.
Nassau County Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro said the fire was difficult to tackle.
"There were storms in the area, high winds, there were thunderstorms, so we're trying to look at lightning strikes, all other types of electrical emergencies, transformers, etc.," he said.
It took the efforts of more than 100 firefighters to eventually get the fire extinguished.
Firefighters later recovered the body of a man, who was originally unaccounted for, from the burned out home.
Neighbors described him as a veteran in his 80s who is a staple on the block.
"He is a good guy, he is always puttering around the house working, he owns this little lot next to our house to that goes to the water, so yeah he's a good guy, he was always nice to our kids," said neighbor Russell Cassar.
Fire officials, police and the town of Hempstead had worked together to meticulously sift through the rubble before discovering the body.
"We don't like to speculate, but the opinions are that maybe, and that's why we're going to take our time and slowly go through the rubble and the structure to make sure that if that person is in there, that we'll work that area, if not, at least we can confirm it, so it's going to be a long investigation and a long process this morning," Uttaro said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, however it is not considered suspicious at this time, according to fire officials.
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