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Mother and 25-Year-Old Son Die in Smithtown Fire After She Rescued 91-Year-Old Landlord

05:52 PM, 12/02/2025
Mother and 25-Year-Old Son Die in Smithtown Fire After She Rescued 91-Year-Old Landlord

On Nov. 30, a house fire at 178 Fifty Acre Road South in Smithtown, Long Island, killed 52-year-old Christine Lehmann and her 25-year-old son, Nicholas. Christine is reported to have helped 91-year-old homeowner Ronald Montagna escape before returning upstairs to find her son. Firefighters made multiple interior rescue attempts but were driven back by the intense blaze. Authorities do not suspect foul play and the cause remains under investigation.

On Nov. 30, a fast-moving house fire tore through a rental home in Smithtown, Long Island, killing a mother and her 25-year-old son after the mother helped the elderly homeowner escape.

Firefighters responded to 178 Fifty Acre Road South on Sunday and found the first floor fully involved, with flames spreading to the second level. A resident told crews that two people were trapped upstairs, prompting multiple interior rescue attempts. Firefighters stretched hose lines from several engines and pushed into the structure, but they were repeatedly forced back by dangerous conditions and heavy fire load.

The victims have been identified as 52-year-old Christine Lehmann and her son, 25-year-old Nicholas Lehmann. The 91-year-old homeowner, Ronald Montagna, was transported to a nearby hospital for smoke inhalation and burn treatment.

Eyewitness accounts

According to a fellow tenant, Christine first helped the homeowner escape the burning house and then went back upstairs to look for her son. Anthony Capasso, a resident returning from Thanksgiving, said Christine used a fire extinguisher to help get the homeowner out and called for her son, who reportedly had earbuds in and did not hear her.

"She came down, got the fire extinguisher, got him to get out, and she was calling her son. Supposedly, he had earbuds on, and she went back up and never made it back down," Capasso said.

Investigation and community response

Authorities say they do not currently suspect criminal activity and the cause of the blaze remains under investigation. Local firefighters, police and the medical examiner are continuing to examine the scene and related evidence.

Neighbors and tenants expressed shock and sorrow after the tragedy. One neighbor who saw the homeowner after the rescue said, "I saw him on a stretcher. It's sad." The community is mourning the loss of two residents and supporting the family and other tenants as officials continue their inquiry.

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