'Material things can be replaced.' Family escapes as flames rip through Roosevelt home

The fire broke out around 3:54 a.m. at the home on Catlin Avenue.

News 12 Staff

Nov 1, 2023, 9:40 AM

Updated 268 days ago

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Massive flames were seen shooting from a home in Roosevelt early Wednesday.
The fire broke out around 3:54 a.m. at the home on Catlin Avenue.
Multiple departments, including firefighters from Roosevelt, Uniondale, Freeport, North Merrick and Hempstead, were on the scene. The fire is now under control.
A resident tells News 12 he got his entire family out of the home.
Troy Brown says he was awoken to the sound of the fire alarm at his Catlin Avenue home. He went to investigate, saw the flames and immediately raced for his grandmother and two brothers.
"I wasn't scared. After I got everyone out I just thought, this is in God's hands. They were my main concern. Everything else, material things can be replaced," says Brown.
Brown was able to get his grandmother and two brothers out. One of his brothers, Tristian Cummings went back to his room to get his cat Reign to safety.
"It was a room full of smoke! I couldn't see anything! I was just hearing -- flames and my cat meowing and I was waving my hands in the smoke till I felt her and I grabbed her and we got out," Cummings said.
A total of four people lived in the home, and everyone is OK. Two pets were rescued from the fire, another two are unaccounted for.
Fire officials say the fire started outside of the house in the back and spread to the basement.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.


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