Two dead in Southold house fire

Two women who died in an early morning house fire Tuesday in Southold were identified as Kathryn Primich, 83, and her daughter, Barbara Primich, 56, officials said.

A neighbor reported the fire at 5:20 a.m. Tuesday on Goose Creek Lane, fire officials said. A Southold police officer who arrived a short time later was turned back by intense heat and smoke.

Flames had engulfed the home by the time firefighters arrived, two minutes after the call, said Southold Fire Chief Keith Cummings, who identified the victims.

"The house was loaded with smoke and heat," Cummings said. Firefighters searched near windows inside the home, but rapidly deteriorating conditions made an extensive search difficult, he said.

Officials said the victims were found in different parts of the two-story house.

Southold Police Chief Martin Flatley said when the first police officers arrived "it [the building] was fully engulfed. There was no chance of making any kind of entry into the house."

Flatley said a neighbor smelled smoke, saw the flames and dialed 911.

"It was mostly interior," Flatley said of the fire. "There were flames and smoke coming from most of the doors and windows . . . it was a very active fire."

Officials said the cause of the fire was unknown.

A neighbor, Eugene Schwanke, said the Primichs moved to their Southold house 20 years ago. Schwanke said he had last seen Barbara Primich several weeks ago. He said Kathryn Primich, who had worked as a nurse in New Jersey, had been in failing health recently.

About 100 firefighters from five departments fought the fire, Cummings said. The wood-frame home had no sprinklers. Because of the heavy fire damage, it was unknown if there were smoke alarms in the house, officials said.

Cummings said more than 100 firefighters from five departments -- Southold, Mattituck, Cutchogue, East Marion and Greenport -- responded to the scene. He said the first volunteers were on scene within two minutes and the first pumper truck arrived within five.

The house is near the Southold Yacht Club and North Bayview Road.

Fatal fires are rare in Southold, Cummings said.

"We're a small community. People knew the victims . . . this hits close to home."

With John Valenti, Gary Dymski, Tania Lopez and Bill Mason

Correction: An earlier version of this story did not include John Valenti's byline.