Elderly Laurel man injured in house fire

An elderly Laurel man suffered severe burns early Mother’s Day morning after he fell asleep with a lit cigarette in his Peconic Bay Boulevard home and his clothing caught fire. Southold Town police reported.
Shortly after 3 a.m. Kenneth Denston, 86, was found by his 89-year-old wife, Nora Denston, who had been asleep on the couch and was awakened by her husband’s screaming, police said. Ms. Denston threw water on him, wrapped him in a towel and removed what was left of his clothing.
After members of the Mattituck Fire Department removed the couple from the residence, Mr. Denston was airlifted to Stony Brook University Medical Center for treatment. Ms. Denston and Mattituck Fire Department Chief Samuel Bail were taken to the Eastern Long Island Hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, police said. Cutchogue Fire Department assisted at the scene.
Mr. Denston’s condition was unknown. As of Monday afternoon he was not listed as a Stony Brook patient.
The damage to the home was said to be minimal.