An elderly woman was pulled from a burning home on Dogwood Drive in Wading River by neighbors who saw flames shooting from the house and went inside to rescue her.
The woman was in a back bedroom unaware of the fire upstairs, Riverhead Police Officer Rich Oliver said. A woman who lives across the street went into the house, yelling to whoever was inside that there was a fire.
The resident, who is the mother of the homeowner, was shaken up but not injured, the officer said.
A neighbor who is a retired NYC firefighter, John Hogan, rescued the family dogs. A cat remains missing, Hogan said.
“My son was on his way out to work this morning, he came back in to say the house next door was on fire,” Hogan said. “I went running outside and saw the smoke. They said their dogs were in there. So he and myself went in and brought them out,” Hogan said. Then Hogan got a garden hose and attempted to control the fire until Wading River Fire Department arrived.
When police arrived on scene, the house “was pretty much engulfed,” Oliver said. The alarm was called in at about 8:15 a.m.
“You feel so helpless, you know?” Hogan said.
Wading River Fire Department called the Riverhead, Rocky Point and Manorville fire departments on mutual aid.
Riverhead Fire Marshal Dave Andruskiewicz said the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Editor’s note: A previously published version of this article incorrectly stated that Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps was standing by at the scnee. RVAC was not called to assist.
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Peter Blasl
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