Mother dies, father and 10-month-old son hospitalized after fire
By WCBS Staff
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EAST SETAUKET, New York (WCBS) — A woman was killed and a man and 10-month-old boy were injured in an overnight house fire on Long Island.
Lisa Ostrowski, 31, died in the blaze. Stephen Ortner, 30, and their son Leo Ortner were rushed to Stony Brook University Hospital after the fire in East Setauket, Suffolk County police said Friday.
Neighbors said they felt helpless as they watched the midnight fire rip through the family’s home on Old Town Road near Dorothy Street, CBS2’s Natalie Duddridge reported.
Karina Schwarz was looking out her window when she spotted smoke and fire at her neighbor’s home across the street.
“I saw that the porch was ablaze,” Schwarz said.
She called 911.
“I was still on the phone with the dispatcher, and I was like, there is a woman screaming in this house, I don’t know where it’s coming from, but I know that it’s there, and they still weren’t even there yet,” Schwarz said.
Fire officials said Ortner ran through fire to get his son to safety, CBS2’s Alice Gainer reported. He passed the boy to rescuers outside from a second-floor window of the burning home.
Ortner was going to go back for Ostrowski, his girlfriend, but the fire chief convinced him to jump down (12 feet) to safety. First responders later found Ostrowski dead inside the home.
Stunned neighbors watched in disbelief as the fire engulfed the home. High winds and wood frame construction exacerbated the flames.
“Everyone was running with a sense of urgency. It was on fire, really, like, roaring fire, something really serious,” Tashiem Jameel said. “We’re really sorry about their loss.”
Ortner was being treated for serious injuries. His son’s injuries were not life-threatening, officials said. One firefighter suffered a minor injury.
“I feel awful, it’s horrible. I’m praying for the family,” another neighbor said.
We’re told the couple lived on the second floor. The homeowner was away and no one else was inside at the time of the fire.
Officials said their preliminary investigation determined the cause of the fire was not criminal. Other details on how it started were not immediately released.
Officials were investigating if the home had working smoke detectors.
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