Bernard J. Kailer, an 88-year-old widower (his wife died 20 years ago) known by neighbors in Garden City as a nice and quiet man who usually wintered in Florida, was pronounced dead at his home at 25 Cambridge Avenue in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Jan. 26. The fire reportedly began in the den of the first level of the split level house near the chair Kailer used to sit in to watch television and was detected by Garden City Police Officer Thomas Federlein at 12:08 a.m. as he drove through the neighborhood in his patrol car. The Garden City Police Department received the call at 12:10 a.m. and Engine 2 Company was on the scene at 12:13 a.m. Kailer was discovered in the kitchen on the second level of the house, but despite their efforts he could not be revived.

Accodring to Lt. Mira of the Garden City Police Department, who spoke with Garden City Life late last week, the fire was a two alarm fire, which means the amount of manpower responding to the scene is increased and mutual aid was sought from the Franklin Square/Muson, Floral Park, Stewart Manor, and New Hyde Park Fire Departments and standby at Fire Headquarters was manned by the Garden City Park Fire Department. With 52 Garden City Firefighters and about 30 firefighters from the neighboring department, the fire was brought under control in approximately 35 minutes. Mira explained that both the career firefighters and the volunteers in the Village responded to the scene. Volunteers and professional firefighters are both called to all structural fires and the volunteers usually meet the engines and companies at the scene in their own vehicles.

Four Garden City Police officers and five Garden City firefighters were injured in fighting the fire. The police officers were transported to Winthrop University Hospital and Nassau County Medical Center where they were treated for smoke inhalation. Three firefighters were treated at the scene for lacerations. Two firefighters were transported to Winthrop for lacerations and difficulty breathing. All of the injured were treated and released. Lt. Mira noted that fighting fires in winter weather is "considerably more treacherous" and sometimes injuries occur from slips and falls on ice and snow and occasionally fire hydrants at the scene are frozen, but thankfully this was not a factor in this case. Also, driving to fires becomes more dangerous on slippery snow and ice covered roads in the winter, but the Garden City Fire Department was able to arrive within three minutes of receiving the call.

Kailer, who lived alone, was reportedly not a smoker and as he was found in the kitchen it has led to speculation that he was conscious and alert for some time during the fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office, detectives from the Garden City Police Department, and the Nassau County Police Department.