Metro

Former NYPD cop, wife, 2 daughters dead in Putnam house fire

Thomas Sullivan

Thomas Sullivan (Larchmont Police Department)

A former NYPD cop, his wife and two daughters perished in a tragic house fire this morning in Putnam County, authorities said.

Larchmont police Capt. Thomas Sullivan, 48, Donna Sullivan, 47, and teenage daughters Mairead and Meaghan didn’t make it out of their Carmel house when flames erupted just before 1:53 a.m.

The family’s only son, 20-year-old Thomas Sullivan Jr., escaped the deadly flames. He was treated for smoke inhalation and released from Danbury Hospital.

“He [Capt. Sullivan] was a dedicated law enforcement individual, an extremely great family man,” Larchmont police Sgt. Ronald Knudson told the Journal News. “His life revolved around his family and his job.”

A funeral is set for Saturday morning at St. James the Apostle Church in Carmel.

Capt. Sullivan had been on job in Larchmont for 19 years, after a six-year NYPD stint at the 47th Precinct station house in the Bronx.

“He was a wonderful, big-hearted, larger- than- life figure,” said former Larchmont mayor Josh Mandell. “He was one of those guys who defined small–town policing. He interacted cordially with everyone in town.”

Daughters Meaghan, 17, and Mairead, 15, were students at Carmel HS, in the 12th and ninth grades, respectively. Survivor Thomas Sullivan Jr., a graduate of Kennedy Catholic HS, attends a local community college.

“They were great kids, a pleasure to have in classrooms,” Carmel HS principal Kevin Carroll said. “The teachers are very, very upset.”

Capt. Sullivan coached youth baseball in Carmel and enjoyed his active role in the community.

“Big Tommy was a role model for kids, adults and parents,” said Putnam County Executive Mary Ellen Odell, who’s also a friend of the family. “He was a man of great compassion and integrity.”

Flames at 19 Wyndham Lane were so intense, the sidings of two nearby houses melted, and firefighters struggled to get inside Sullivan’s home, authorities said.

Ten minutes after firefighters showed up, a rear wall, side wall and roof collapsed.

“Upon arrival, it became quite apparent there was going to be no attempt at an interior attack,” Carmel fire chief Bob Lipton told WCBS-AM. “It was fully engulfed, fully engulfed. The house was just ablaze,”

It took about 75 firefighters from several surrounding towns needed three hours to finally douse flames.

“There’s nothing standing but two garage doors,” said neighbor Lorraine Girolamo, who lives two doors down the street.

Girolamo said the Sullivans moved into the neighborhood 11 years ago and she waved hello to them almost every day.

The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known.

Carmel police said they expect a lengthy investigation to trace the fire’s cause.

With AP