By JOSEPH KELLARD
The fire began at approximately 1 p.m. near a bed in the front, second-floor bedroom of apartment 45, said Joseph Schweitzer, fire investigator for the Nassau County Fire Marshal. No one was injured in the fire, but three cats were killed and another is missing. At press time, the cause of the fire was unknown but is under investigation.
"I can only rule out that it had nothing to do with wiring, since it looks like it occurred in the middle of the room," Schweitzer said.
When the fire broke out, a resident of apartment 46, Murry Sukernek, was home and his neighbor, Michael Haberman, barged through his front door.
"He told me there was a fire in his house and asked to use my phone because he has no operating phone," Sukernek said. "I called the fire department and he went back upstairs in his apartment and started throwing some of his belongings that were on fire out the window. I told him, 'Are you crazy? The house is burning! Get out of there!' He came down and stood outside.
"I was inside and had a glue gun on when I smelled smoke, and I thought it was from the gun," said Sheri Donohue, who lives across the street in apartment 59. "I ran upstairs and looked out the window and saw large flames coming from the window. I felt a lot of heat, too."
"I was inside and heard fire trucks coming down the street. I looked outside and saw a lot of flames coming out the windows," said Adam Smith, a six-month resident of Valley Townhouse.
The fire burned a large hole in the roof of apartment 45, and apartments 47 and 44 sustained heavy smoke damage. Sukernek, a 33-year resident of apartment 46, said his entire upstairs was burned and that the fire traveled down to his living room downstairs.
"My whole home is gone. It's a tragedy. My house is completely destroyed," he said.
Haberman was not at the fire scene for questioning. Sukernek said Haberman is in his 30s and suffers from epilepsy and "mental dysfunctions." Donohue described him as "mentally disabled" and claimed that his mother, who used to stay in the apartment with him, lives elsewhere with a man and "rarely, if ever, comes home anymore." Donohue added that she believes Haberman is supposed to have a legal guardian with him, but that no one lives with him.
The fire was extinguished in approximately one hour, said John Traverso, first assistant Chief at the Oceanside Fire Department. Responding to the scene were fire departments from Oceanside, Island Park, Long Beach, Point Lookout, Baldwin, Freeport, East Rockaway, Rockville Centre, Lynbrook, and Nassau County.
