Police recovered a body from the burned down Island Park home where an elderly man was reported missing Monday.
“The Homicide Squad reports the details of an unknown male victim recovered from inside the residence after the fire had been extinguished,” the Nassau County Police Department said in a statement posted Tuesday.
The unidentified body was taken to the Medical Examiner’s office where it could be evaluated and identified, according to authorities.
News 12 Long Island reported that heavy machinery was brought in to search the home, where two elderly people were believed to be missing following a three-alarm fire that began around 1:49 a.m. It was soon learned the woman thought to have been inside wasn’t home at the time.
The Island Park Volunteer Fire Department said 120 firefighters from 10 departments took 90 minutes to extinguish the blaze. An investigation to determine the cause of the fire is ongoing.
Nassau County fire officials suspect high winds and lightning may have been a factor. Those storm conditions fueled the flames that completely destroyed the home, according to ABC News.
Island Park is located less than 30 miles east of Grand Central between the Nassau County mainland and the Island of Long Beach.