Fire tears through home

A nonsuspicious fire early Sunday left a Baldwin family homeless, but authorities said no one was injured in the blaze.

Baldwin Fire Chief Karen Bendel said she was first to arrive at the scene, at 1026 Steele Blvd., and found the eight occupants of the house outside. She said the first and second floors at the rear of the house were fully engulfed in flames.

She said the 80 firefighters from Baldwin got the fire under control in about an hour. "We made an aggressive interior attack," Bendel said. "We used three hose lines."

Mutual assistance came from fire departments in Oceanside, Freeport and South Hempstead. Bendel said firefighters remained at the scene for about two hours. She said the initial call came into the firehouse at 4:29 a.m.

Cause of the fire remains under investigation by Nassau County fire marshals, Bendel said, although foul play is not suspected.

The homeowner, Dorothy Jaeger, and her family managed to escape the fire when a neighbor knocked on the door, according to one report. Dorothy Jaeger's late husband, Robert, who also owned the house, was Baldwin fire chief in 1975, and a 62-year member of the department, Bendel said. Robert Jaeger died in 2012.