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Mostly Cloudy Holocaust survivor dies in house fire
Fire officials call victim 'a careless smoker'
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 this 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.
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.
Fire officials described Rafalowicz as a careless smoker, and are currently investigating whether he accidentally started the fire.
