The deadly inferno that raced through a Long Island home — killing a grandmother and her young granddaughter and forcing the girl’s 10-year-old brother to jump from a window — was sparked by a candle, fire officials said Monday.
The candle was left burning overnight Saturday into Sunday in a hallway between the kitchen and garage of the two-story home in New Hyde Park, said James Hickman, division supervisor for the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office.
Police on Monday identified the victims of the 3 a.m. blaze as Maria Karpinski, 68, and her 4-year-old granddaughter, Brooke Schillizzi.
Brooke and her brother, Matthew Schillizzi, had been enjoying a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa’s house when the tragic fire broke out, Hickman said.
The kids’ grandfather escaped the burning home and was frantically using a garden hose to try to douse the intense flames by the time firefighters arrived.
The little girl and Karpinski were rescued from a second-floor bedroom by smoke-eaters but died later at the hospital.
Hickman lauded the two young firefighters who pulled little Brooke and Karpinski from the flames.
“That was just phenomenal, heroics defined,” Hickman said. “You have to think about the mental toll it takes on people.”
Meanwhile, Matthew leaped from a second-floor window to escape the burning home.
He suffered burns and a broken arm and fled across the street for help.
“He was crying and telling me what happened that his house was on fire and his parents weren’t here,” said neighbor Shaju Sam.
Sam said he sprang into action, alerting other neighbors to the fire on the quiet North 12th Street.
“Everyone is sleeping at 3 o’clock,” he said. “They needed to know just in case.”
The grandparents’ house had smoke detectors “but we do not know if they were working or not,” Hickman said.
The children and their parents, Peter and Renata Schillizzi, live in Massapequa. Their parents were not at the grandparents’ house at the time.
On Christmas Day, Peter Schillizzi posted an undated photo of his two kids smiling alongside a decorated tree and stack of presents.
The modest home was left standing but is uninhabitable, Hickman said.
On Monday, its windows, front door and garage were boarded up, and black scorch marks covered its brick front. A single festive wreath was left hanging on the front steps.
The car in the driveway was so badly singed that its windows and tires were blown out.
It took as many as 150 firefighters about two hours to get the blaze under control, Hickman said. The New Hyde Park volunteer fire department arrived on scene just three minutes after the first call came in.
“It was difficult largely because of the construction [of the home]. It’s a high ranch. There are multiple levels, there are different air currents in the building that spread the fire,” Hickman explained.
The boy, who is expected to survive, has not yet been interviewed by authorities.
A tenant who also lives at the address was not home at the time.
Neither the grandfather nor the children’s parents could be reached for comment.