Bellmore man suffers burns in fire that consumed his home, authorities say

A Bellmore man was burned in a raging fire that consumed his home early Monday and also sent a firefighter to the hospital, authorities said.

About 125 firefighters from five departments battled for two hours to control the blaze that was reported about 12:45 a.m. at a Sunrise Avenue house, said Vincent Scaduto, public information officer for the Bellmore fire department.

The resident in the home escaped and was outside when rescuers arrived, said Michael Uttaro, Nassau County assistant chief fire marshal. He was being treated for non-life-threatening second- and third-degree burns to his chest and arms Monday night at Nassau University Medical Center, where fire investigators waited to talk to him to get details of what happened, Uttaro said.

A firefighter cut on his hand was also treated at a hospital and released, officials said.

Flames were shooting through the roof and the blaze was already intense when firefighters arrived, preventing them from getting inside to fight the fire, authorities said.

"It was a lot of volume of fire," Scaduto said. "We ordinarily make an interior attack, but when it was something like this, you have to do an exterior attack. We were constantly moving around. Our tower ladder was hitting it from above. We were going to windows, making holes, trying to knock it out from the outside." 

Scaduto said the fire was so intense it also melted the siding on the adjoining homes.

Uttaro said the fire appeared to have started in the basement and does not appear suspicious. The house is expected to be razed, authorities said. 

According to Bellmore fire officials, other departments that responded were North Bellmore, Merrick, North Merrick and Wantagh.