Authorities: Man Killed In North Amityville Motel Fire
NORTH AMITYVILLE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Police are investigating a Long Island motel fire that left a man dead Sunday morning.
Firefighters responded to a 911 call around 5:30 a.m. about the blaze at the Sayonara Motel at 831 Broadway in North Amityville, officials said.
Kevin Furey, 56, who was staying in a second-story room at the motel, was overcome by smoke, authorities said. He was transported to St. Joseph Hospital in Bethpage, where he was pronounced dead, officials said.
Authorities: Man Killed In North Amityville Motel Fire
The fire started in a different room on the second floor, but does not appear to be a criminal act, authorities said. The investigation is ongoing.
Firefighters helped rescue four people from the second floor during the height of the blaze, TV 10/55's Steve Langford reported.
"I said to my daughter 'Let's go, let's get out of here. Everybody and let's go," said evacuee Nicole Desir.
One family visiting from Miami said they just escaped with their 4-year-old and a 22-month-old.
"First thing I thought was to get my kids -- grab my kids, ran out. Left the baby bag, left everything," said Stephanie Baptiste.
They then ran across the street and knocked on a neighbor's door, who invited them in from the cold.
"Being of the same country we were inclined to offer them a hand," said Senat Solages.
One man who lives next door to the motel said he was surprised by the extent of the damage.
"I didn't know it was that bad," he told 1010 WINS' Kevin Rincon. "I thought it was just contained to one room."
Another neighbor said her first thought was "somebody's burning that motel down."
"The thought of a person losing their life, especially around the holiday, is just terrible," she added.
Around 100 firefighters responded to the blaze.
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