By Mary Malloy
A 45-year old Bay Park woman died of apparent smoke inhalation, along with her beloved black Labrador, and an East Rockaway fire chief was sent to the hospital after a fire broke out in the woman's home last Sunday morning.
Patricia Baumann, of 72 North Blvd., was pronounced dead on arrival at South Nassau Communities Hospital.
Members of the East Rockaway Fire Department carried her from the small, smoke-filled, bungalow-style house. "She was handed to us by firefighters inside the building," said 1st Assistant Chief Bobby Klose. "We ran with her down the block toward the ambulance that was coming toward us." Klose said that the woman was unconscious and appeared to be suffering from smoke inhalation.
"Pattie and I liked to do ordinary things," said her housemate and boyfriend of 10 years, Joe Ochs. "We liked to barbecue, do simple, everyday things." Ochs stood outside his gutted home 24 hours after the fire, surveying the damage along with a neighbor, a friend of the family who declined to be identified. He took his coat off and shook his head. "I am sorry ... I am grieving." Ochs said that Baumann was not employed, and was partially disabled.
Ochs was at work at Stop & Shop in West Hempstead when the fire broke out, and was contacted by Baumann's sister, who lives in Farmingdale. They are awaiting the results of an autopsy, the neighbor said, adding that funeral arrangements are pending. "She was a sweet and devoted woman," the neighbor said of Baumann.
At 11:52 a.m. Jan. 6, the fire department received a report of a house fire, and Klose was first on the scene, calling in a signal 10 - a working fire. Detectives report that the alarm was initiated by a call from a neighbor who smelled smoke and attempted unsuccessfully to enter the house. They said that the fire started in the living room.
Under the command of Department Chief Elvie Hickam, Engine 405 was the first to attack the blaze. A neighbor alerted firefighters that she had not seen Baumann come out. Second Assistant Chief Ed Reicherter went in, along with Ex-Captain Andy Hedges and firefighters Adam Frank and Rob Schaeffer. They found Baumann in the kitchen, lying by the back door, and handed her out to Klose and ex-captain Mike Carver, who carried her almost two blocks to an approaching ambulance. Attendants performed CPR on Baumann as they raced to the hospital.
Klose collapsed shortly after handing the woman to the ambulance attendants, having helped carry her while wearing 125 pounds of firefighting gear. He was hospitalized for exhaustion and released that night.
The family dog, Kayle, was treated for cardiac arrest at the scene, but she could not be revived.
Approximately 40 firefighters from the East Rockaway Fire Department brought the blaze under control in about 20 minutes. The Lynbrook, Hewlett and Oceanside fire departments also answered the call. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but is not considered suspicious, according to the Nassau County fire marshal's office.
Comments about this story? Mmalloy@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 202.
