Mother killed, father and child injured in East Setauket house fire

Suffolk police say Stephen Ortner escaped the home through a second-floor window onto the roof ledge and handed his 10-month-old son to safety. Officers say Lisa Ostrowski, the mother of the child, was found dead inside the home when the fire was extinguished.

News 12 Staff

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Feb 18, 2022, 10:21 AM

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Updated 1,037 days ago

An overnight fire in East Setauket has left a mother dead and a father and child injured, according to officials.

The fire started at a house at 360 Old Town Road, which is on the property of Olde Towne Garden of Setauket, near Ward Melville High School just after midnight Friday.

Officials say a call for the fire came in just after midnight. Nine departments responded to battle the flames.

The neighbor who called 911 said they saw the flames and came out to see what was going on.

"While I was on the phone, I heard a woman screaming and I told them...'I hear somebody screaming, I don't know if it's coming from the house, but like hurry it up, get here, do something,'" the neighbor says.

Suffolk police say Stephen Ortner, 30, escaped the home through a second-floor window onto the roof ledge and handed his 10-month-old son to safety. He was then able to climb down to the ground.

Officers say Lisa Ostrowski, the mother of the child, was found dead inside the home when the fire was extinguished.

News 12 is told the 31-year-old never made it out from the second floor.

Ortner was treated for serious injuries and his son was treated for injuries not considered life-threatening at Stony Brook Hospital.

Authorities say the cause of the fire is non-criminal.

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