Hempstead house fire leaves two people, 42 and 12, dead

A fatal residential fire raged overnight on  March 13 in Hempstead, leading to the deaths of two people, a 42-year-old man and a 12-year-old boy, according to the Nassau County Police Department's Homicide Squad.

At 4 a.m., the Hempstead Fire Department responded to a basement apartment fire on Albemarle Avenue, with the assistance of neighboring fire departments, according to detectives. The 42-year-old, identified as Kenneth Roberts, was pronounced dead at the scene and the 12-year-old boy, currently unidentified, was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased by staff.

A coordinated investigation is ongoing with the Nassau County Fire Marshall, Nassau County Police Department Arson and Bomb Squad and Nassau County Police Department Homicide Squad.