HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (1010 WINS) — A man has been charged in connection with Monday's fire at a Hempstead home that killed one woman, injured two men and left others displaced.
listen to 1010 wins
Fifty-five Hempstead firefighters responded to the blaze, which started in a bedroom on the second floor of the two-family home at 103 Front St., around 6:30 a.m., according to the Nassau County Police Department.
One woman was found dead inside the home after the blaze was extinguished. News 12 identified her as Felicia Malakai.
The department said two people, one with burns to his face, hands and arms and another with minor injuries to his ankles from jumping out of a second-story window, were hospitalized at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow.
Daryle McClenic, 35, was arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Court documents obtained by the outlet said McClenic was illegally occupying the home and illegally renting rooms there.
According to the report, Malakai died after the fire started in her room because McClenic allegedly failed to maintain smoke detectors in the home.
Investigators executing a search warrant in the home Monday night recovered a loaded semi-automatic handgun inside a locked box in McClenic's bedroom, Newsday reported.
He was charged with weapons possession because he reportedly has a prior conviction from 2016 for reckless endangerment and does not have a license or permit for the gun.
Five adults and two children fled the home and were not injured, officials said Monday. They are getting assistance from the Red Cross.
Related
Related
