Hempstead senior citizens dispaced, two hurt in fire, official says

Two Hempstead residents were injured Friday evening and the occupants of 22 apartments were displaced when fire broke out at the senior housing complex where they live, a Nassau official said.

The blaze at 260 Clinton St. was doused within 30 minutes of the time it was reported at 7:06 p.m. but water used to fight it damaged 22 apartments, said James Hickman, division supervisor for the Nassau County fire marshal's office.

The three-story building is managed by the Village of Hempstead Housing Authority.

Hickman said the fire was accidental, caused by an electrical malfunction on a stove in the first-floor apartment that received the bulk — if not all — of the fire damage.

"It could have been a lot worse," Hickman said, adding that the Hempstead Fire Department "did an excellent job" and that the injuries sustained by the two residents were minor.

Housing Authority officials and the Red Cross were trying to find shelter for the displaced residents, Hickman said.