A 68-year-old woman and her 4-year-old granddaughter were killed in a house fire caused by an unattended candle early Sunday morning in New Hyde Park, fire officials said.
According to police, around 3 a.m. the New Hyde Park Fire Department responded to a call for a house fire at 146 N. 12th Street. The house, occupied by five people at the time, was engulfed in flames upon arrival.
Maria Karpinski, 68, and Brooke Schillizzi, her 4-year-old granddaughter from Massapequa Park, succumbed to injuries they sustained in the fire.
More than 200 firefighters from seven departments and approximately 11 firetrucks responded to the scene.
Two occupants left the house uninjured. First responders entered the home and removed Karpinski and Schillizzi. According to NBC 4, a third injured occupant, a 10-year-old boy, jumped from a second-floor window onto a car below to escape the flames.
All three were transported to local hospitals for treatment of injuries including smoke inhalation and burns, and the two later died, according to the police.
The investigation into the fire was initially deemed noncriminal by the police.
According to an update from the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office, the fire was an accident caused by an unattended candle. There was also no working smoke detector in the home, a spokesperson said.
On Monday morning, neighbors and others mourning the tragedy placed flowers on the steps and railing of the home, but declined to comment.
“The Village of New Hyde Park is deeply saddened at the tragic loss of life and property that occurred this weekend in a house fire on North 12th Street in our village,” a press release from village Mayor Lawrence Montreuil said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of those who have lost so much.”
“We sincerely appreciate the heroic efforts by the volunteers of the New Hyde Park Fire Department in responding so quickly for their courage and professionalism,” the release said.
