NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Five people were killed when a large fire tore through a house on Long Island Tuesday night, officials said.
The fire was reported just after 10:30 p.m. at a residence with four apartments on East Second Street in Riverhead.
A total of eight fire departments responded to the fire.
Several residents were able to escape but a stairwell on the third floor may have collapsed as firefighters attempted to gain entry, trapping the remaining occupants.
At least one firefighter also suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center for treatment.
Once the flames came under control, authorities said the search to find the bodies of the victims began. A total of five were recovered.
Neighbors and family members gathered outside the home on Tuesday, saying the victims were members of one family who lived on the third floor.
An emotional friend told WCBS 880’s Sophia Hall that she knew one of the victims for many years, noting he lived in the home with his aunt and her 15-year-old daughter who just moved to the United States from Guatemala.
“We were dating four years ago and then we stayed friends,” she said. “He worked in construction…he was very happy.”
Neighbors say they heard the screams and ran to help.
“Me and my cousin tried to see if we could get in and do something for the people… but it was at that point, the fire was too advance,” one man told WCBS 880.
Photos from the scene showed the scorched remains on the Victorian-style home that was built in 1907.
Officials are working to determine the cause of the fire but authorities do not suspect foul play.