By JUDY RATTNER
Nassau County fire marshals, the police arson squad and the village fire department are looking into the cause of the fire. "The fire is still under investigation," said Fire Chief Michael Lapkowski. "We think it may have started in the front room of the house, possibly from a Christmas tree."
According to village spokesman Jeff Kluewer, the preliminary police report indicated that the fire, at 14 Madison Ave., was initially reported at 5:18 a.m., when an unidentified man ran into Rockville Centre police headquarters, just down the block from the burning house, and reported it to officer James Lauth, who was on duty at the front desk.
Police Sgt. Thomas Landrigan, who is also a volunteer firefighter in Suffolk County, ran to the scene, and called the fire in to the fire department. Police officers Daniel Heffernan (another Suffolk County volunteer firefighter), Salvatore Mazza and Peter Rogan were among the first responders. When they arrived at the scene, three residents of the house were standing in front of it. The officers ran to the rear yard to try to gain entry because the front door and the front window of the home were engulfed in flames.
"In the 25 years I've been a firefighter, I haven't seen so much fire coming from a house fire," said department spokesman Peter Klugewicz. "When we pulled up, fire was blowing out of every window."
The village electric department also responded to the scene after receiving a report of a live wire in the road. Workers detached the dangling wire from the overhead wire and strapped it to a nearby utility pole.
According to a report from the Nassau County arson bomb squad, a 57-year-old woman awoke to discover the fire in the living room of the home. She suffered burns to her hand and smoke inhalation, and was transported to South Nassau Communities Hospital and later transferred to Nassau University Medical Center.
Another resident, a 43-year old man, leapt from the roof, injuring his right leg, and was helped by Heffernan. The man also suffered throat burns in the fire, and was taken to Nassau University Medical Center. Mazza and Rogan helped another resident off the roof of the burning house by positioning a picnic table beneath him.
Police officer Elliott Vega interviewed the residents, and determined that there were no other people inside. According to the police report, Rogan and Heffernan evacuated the homes at 17 and 18 Madison Ave. as a precaution.
Twelve trucks and more than 100 firefighters from Rockville Centre, Baldwin, South Hempstead, Lakeview, East Rockaway and Lynbrook responded to the call for mutual aid. A Rockville Centre firefighter reportedly suffered a burn on his neck while battling the blaze, and was treated at Nassau University Medical Center.
Several windows on the second floor of an adjacent building, at 11 St. Marks Ave., were blown out during the blaze.
It was not known whether the Madison Avenue house had working smoke detectors.
Members of the village building department also responded to the scene but did not enter the house. After the fire was extinguished, they declared the home a dangerous and substandard building and had it boarded up.
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