HEMPSTEAD — Police say an apartment fire that spread to several buildings has forced 250 people from their homes, killed one and sent 11 to hospitals on Long Island.
Nassau County police say one victim is in critical condition after fire Saturday morning in Hempstead. The rest have injuries that aren’t seen as life-threatening.
Police haven’t released the identity of the person who died. Newsday says that victim is an 8-year-old boy, and another is a pregnant woman who suffered a heart attack.
Detectives are trying to determine what caused the fire. They don’t believe it was set deliberately. It started in a third-floor apartment on Paul Road North around 6:20 a.m.
Some 300 firefighters were called in from 13 departments. It took several hours to extinguish the fire.