‘A husband, father, doctor and friend’

An elderly Hewlett man who was known as a heavy smoker is dead after an apparently accidental fire broke out in his Sutton Lane home early last Thursday morning.

The 86-year-old man, identified by fire officials as Adam Rafalowicz, was reportedly found in his second-floor bathroom once firefighters put out the blaze. The victim, who was a Holocaust survivor that escaped the Nazis in Poland and later became a doctor, was pronounced dead at the scene.

“It was frightening and just unfortunate that the whole thing happened,” said Roslyn Schwartz, 82, who lived next door to Rafalowicz with her husband Gerald for nearly 40 years. “We lost a good friend and neighbor. It's a terrible thing that the man went the way he did.”

Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the house located at 10 Sutton Lane, avoiding damage to neighboring homes. Six fire departments responded to the blaze, which neighbors said broke out just before 3 a.m. on Nov. 12.

“We didn’t have to evacuate but they wanted us to be on alert in case the fire came over to our place,” Gerald Schwartz said. “But fortunately it didn’t. We have no damage at all from the fire.”

Fire officials described Rafalowicz as a careless smoker, and are investigating whether he accidentally started the fire. Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office division supervisor Vincent McManus said investigators continue to work on the theory that Rafalowicz was smoking in bed when a lit cigarette or stray ashes sparked what became the fatal fire.

“We have no new evidence to dispute that theory,” said Fire Marshal Michael Mennella, who is the lead investigator on the case. “After speaking to family members, that was his known habit, to smoke in bed, generally right before going to sleep.” The Fire Marshal’s office is awaiting toxicology reports from the medical examiner to determine the cause of death.

Arson Bomb Squad detectives and the Fire Marshal’s Office are continuing their individual investigations of the fire, which has been classified as non-suspicious as of press time Tuesday night. “It does not appear suspicious in any way,” Mennella said. “It definitely seems like an accidental fire.”