By PAUL J. CONDRA
While the cause of the blaze is still undetermined, officials praised the massive evacuation effort by firefighters. The fire was deemed not suspicious.
The fire at Nathan Hale Senior Village, at 30 Doxsey Place, broke out shortly after 2 a.m. April 22, originating in a room on the fourth floor of the north wing of the L-shaped building. The room was occupied by Rita Callahan, 81, who was found dead inside by firefighters.
One of Callahan's five children, Corey, is the Captain of Lynbrook Fire Department's Tally-Ho company, and assisted in the response that morning.
Thirteen other fire departments responded to the call, including East Rockaway, Malverne and Rockville Centre.
When firefighters arrived the fire was beginning to engulf the upper floors. Residents were led and many carried from the building.
Many residents were found to be hanging out of their windows and six of them had to be taken down by ladder or by the bucket trucks placed up to their windows, said Lynbrook Fire Department spokesman Steve Grogan.
One resident who is an amputee was taken out of a window without his artificial leg, he said. Firefighters later went back into his apartment to retrieve his leg so he could get around.
Grogan said other residents were asleep and didn't wake up until firefighters began banging on their doors.
The residents, many in wheelchairs or with canes, then marched to Atlantic Avenue, where buses took them first to Village Hall, then to Lynbrook's Recreation Center, where the Nassau County Red Cross had established an aid center with cots, food and clothes.
In the meantime, firefighters continued to fight the blaze.
At one point during the intense heat a portion of the roof collapsed over the burning apartments nearly dropping firefighters on the roof into the inferno below, Grogan said.
Though there was one fatality, the effort was hailed as a success by fire officials and other leaders, who said it could have been much worse.
Lynbrook has a great [fire] department, said Assemblyman Bob Barra, calling from Albany to express concern for the situation. They are always on top of it.
This had the potential to be a major disaster for this community if it had not been for the quick evacuation and rescue of these senior citizens, said Lynbrook's new Fire Chief John Obanhein, who took office less than a week ago. Lynbrook volunteers could not have done this without the help of our neighboring departments who gave us a hand in the evacuation, transporting the injured, as well as fighting the fire. My thanks go out to them for their help.
Lynbrook firefighters reportedly said smoking in bed was the cause of the blaze but that could not be confirmed by Nassau County officials at press time.
A funeral will be held for Rita Callahan on Thursday, April 25 at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Good Counsel R.C. Church in Inwood. One of Callahan's sons, Ryan, was standing near the burnt building Monday morning wearing a fireman's hat as firefighters extinguished the blaze.
This is the year Lynbrook will never forget, he said. They found her in her room.
Elizabeth Sagarin contributed to this report.
