One person died and three others were injured after a 3-alarm-fire ripped through multiple Long Island homes Wednesday morning.
The Bellmore Fire Department said a house fire was reported around 4:36 a.m.
Firefighters tried to enter the burning home, but heavy flames kept them at bay. Meanwhile, a fire hydrant covered in snow and ice had to be dug out, causing a delay in operations.
Bellmore FD Chief Ozechowski the fire spread to a second house after crews arrived.
“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 News 12 Long Island.
The residents were able to safely escape the blaze.
Both houses collapsed. A third was damaged.
It took at least 100 firefighters 90 minutes to get the fire under control, officials said. Firefighters wrapped up operations at the scene around 8 a.m., Nassau County Chief Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro said.
The Nassau County Fire Marshal said one resident of the first house died at the scene. Another occupant is being treated for smoke inhalation. No firefighters were injured.
Two Nassau County police officers who attempted to enter the burning home were also treated for smoke inhalation.
No details about the identities of the victims have been released.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by county fire marshals and the Nassau County Police Arson Bomb Squad.
