1 woman killed in fire that ripped through 3 homes in Bay Shore, police say
Fire officials said strong wind gusts overnight both fueled and spread the fire.
One woman was killed in a fire that ripped through three homes in Bay Shore early Thursday, according to law enforcement.
Suffolk County police said three people were in one of the homes at 1417 North Windsor Ave. when the fire started around 1:30 a.m.
The woman’s body was found in the rubble, one man was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries and released and a third person in the home escaped uninjured.
Officials have not identified the victim.
The home at 1417 collapsed as wind gusts pushed the fire first to neighboring homes at 1415, an abandoned home and then to 1419, where a family inside was able to escape.
"That amount of fire you know, you really can't get inside the structure so we have to hit it with our deck guns and then the wind is just pushing the water away from the fire, so it just adds an extra level of difficulty to it,” Bay Shore Fire Chief John Ippolito, Jr. said.
“The flames were ridiculous and it was so windy it just kept coming,” one neighbor said. “We were getting embers in our backyard.”
Four adults and one child were displaced, according to a spokesperson for the Red Cross.
”Our hearts and thoughts are with the community after this tragic fire,” a spokesperson told News 12.
“In the coming days Red Cross caseworkers will connect with the families to provide additional information regarding government and nonprofit programs that may be able to support longer term recovery needs,” the spokesperson added.
”I feel bad for them,” another neighbor said.
Fourteen fire departments and EMS responded, according to officials.
Bay Shore firefighters return to the scene where three homes burned to put out hot spots. If you're on the News 12 app and can't see the videos above - TAP HERE.
Video showed a frantic scene of firefighters going home to home as the flames spread.
“My neighbors were crying because they didn’t know if their hose was next, and it was surreal. It was movie-like,” Bay Shore resident Rochelle Brown said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation though Suffolk County Police said it does not appear to be criminal in nature at this time.
One neighbor on the block is being hailed as a hero.
Residents say that she alerted them to the danger.
News 12 spoke to that good Samaritan, who didn’t want her name used.
She said she happened to be awake when the flames broke out and ran out of her home, screaming and banging, telling everyone to get out.
She said she knew the victim, who didn’t even live on the block.
She said the deceased woman had been staying there to help someone going through a difficult time.
She described her as a very sweet woman.
