By Michael Frazier
Newsday (New York)
Copyright 2006 Newsday, Inc.
A former Nassau police officer died yesterday in a fire at his Hicksville home that apparently started with sparks from an extension cord attached to a portable heater, fire investigators said.
Firefighters found the body of former officer Lawrence Bennett, 79, in the dining room of his home on North Drive after extinguishing the 9:45 a.m. blaze. He lived alone, officials said.
Investigators have ruled out foul play after talking with Bennett’s family members, who said he used a heater year round because he suffered from poor circulation that caused chills, said Vincent McManus, division supervisor from Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office.
Bennett’s neighbors called 911 when they spotted smoke pouring from his two-story Cape Cod home, fire investigators said. A few of them tried to pull Bennett from the burning house before firefighters arrived, McManus said.
A Hicksville volunteer firefighter, who arrived ahead of other responding firefighters, also tried to rescue Bennett, he said.
“One of his neighbors was able to partially kick open a kitchen door. He tried to get in, but couldn’t get far,” McManus said. “He was driven back by heat and smoke.”
The Hicksville Fire Department had the fire under control in less than an hour, McManus said.
The Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the fire. The preliminary investigation points to faulty wiring as the cause of the fire, but an official determination has yet to be made.
The Nassau County Police Department said Bennett retired from the force in 1972. After retiring, he worked for the U.S. Postal Service, McManus said.
Bennett has two sons who are police officers in Florida and a daughter living in Georgia, McManus said. They couldn’t be reached for comment.