Officials: Brentwood house fire kills man

A Brentwood man died in a house fire early Sunday, Suffolk police said.

Police and fire officials went to the Sixth Avenue home around 12:25 a.m. to find it on fire. While his mother escaped, Sean Sheridan, 42, was still in the building.

Rescuers found Sheridan in the basement. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the medical examiner's office.

Neighbor Mercedes Flores, 29, a school bus driver, said she woke up around 1 a.m. to the smell of smoke and looked outside, where she saw flames coming from her neighbor's basement, firefighters breaking the house's windows and sparks on a utility pole.

Flores said she believes Sheridan and his mother were the home's only occupants. She said she saw her neighbors only in passing, and described the victim as "very quiet, a very nice guy."

A friend of the Sheridans said the family did not want to release a statement.

The investigation as to the cause of the fire is ongoing, though officials say it does not appear suspicious. Police ask anyone with information to contact the arson squad at 631-852-6024, the homicide squad at 631-852-6392 or Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS.