By JEFF LIPTON
Nassau Police Detective Sgt. Anthony Repalone identified the victim as Cara Main, 27, who lived on the first-floor of 319 Barr Ave., which was devastated by the fire.
The fire erupted around 11:30 a.m., and when members of the Hewlett Fire Department arrived, the house was fully engulfed by flames. Covered in soot, an unidentified woman who lived on the second-floor ran out the front door and greeted arriving firefighters, alerting them that she believed the victim was still inside the burning building, fire officials said.
Battling the searing heat that was estimated to reach temperatures upwards of 2,000 degrees and fighting through blinding smoke, firefighters could not reach Main until about 30 minutes later, officials said. They found her buried beneath rubble from the ceiling which had apparently crumbled on topof her, fire officials said.
Main-s body was removed from the charred remains of the home about six hours after the blaze was extinguished, according to officials who conducted an investigation. Three dogs also perished in the fire, including one that firefighters tried to resuscitate.
The fire appears to have started in the first-floor bedroom, where the victim-s body was found, but the cause is still unknown, said Supervisor Vincent McManus of the Nassau County Fire Marshal-s Office.
Neither the owner of the home nor his children were present at the time of the fire, but were seen arriving after the fire was brought under control, a neighbor said.
The Police Department-s Arson/Bomb Squad is leading the investigation in the case and the house was initially treated as a possible crime scene. However, Nassau Police Detective Lt. Kevin Smith said two days after the fire that it was not believed to be suspicious and that arson was probably not involved, since an accelerant was not found.
"The cause is still undetermined, the investigation is continuing and we-re
assisting the police department any way we can," said McManus. "The Fire Marshal is still working side-by-side with the Police Department. There are still some people they want to speak with."
