Blaze claims life of woman

A 74-year-old woman died on Saturday in a fire that destroyed a Bellmore home. Barbara Goldfarb was found unconscious in her second-floor apartment in a home at 2025 Henry St., just south of Natta Boulevard, on Sept. 19, shortly after 9:35 p.m. when she had activated a MedicAlert to call for help, police said.

Smoke and fire were streaming out of a second-floor window of the brick ranch-style home when the Bellmore Emergency Medical Services responded, Nassau County Police said.

At the time, local fire department members were participating in the annual Sixth Battalion Parade and Drill in Massapequa, following a drill team tournament at the Four Towns Training Center in Merrick during the day.

Goldfarb was rushed by ambulance to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow and pronounced dead at about 10:30 p.m. NUMC spokeswoman Shelley Lautenberg described the cause of death as "injuries suffered during fire."

"I wasn’t’ home at the time," said neighbor George Krekeler on Monday. "All I know is that they have a little dog." The dog, Goldfarb’s constant companion, named Carly, survived the blaze, he said.

No one else was home when the fire broke out, police said. The homeowners are listed as Leonard Renna and Angela Wimbish, parents-in-law of one of Goldfarb’s two sons, according to published reports.

At press time, the cause of the blaze was undetermined, but was believed to be accidental in nature. As is standard procedure, Nassau arson and bomb squad detectives are investigating the case.

The victim’s relatives, other neighbors and officials from the Bellmore Fire Department could no be reached for comment at press time. Officials from the North Bellmore Fire Department said the location was in the Bellmore Fire District, and they therefore could not comment.