NEW ROCHELLE – A fire that consumed a house at 10 Hamilton Avenue
in New Rochelle that broke out minutes before midnight Monday morning
claimed the life of a 55-year-old woman. She was identified by police
as Loretta Wood, who was discovered dead inside a second-floor bedroom.
Her cause of death is under investigation.
Two men, who were also inside, were able to escape with the help of firefighters.
When emergency services personnel arrived at the scene at about 11:40
p.m. Sunday, the three-story house was fully engulfed in flames as they
heard people inside yelling for help.
Officers were able to call to the men and told them to follow their voices
to the opposite side of the house. Once there, the officers had the men
climb onto the roof and then onto a nearby tree. From there, the men jumped
approximately 10 feet to the ground into the arms of the officers.
Both men were treated by ambulance personnel and taken to a nearby hospital,
one suffering from burns to his hands and feet.
Firefighters battled the blaze for several hours before bringing it under
control. The cause of the fire is under investigation, although, authorities
said it does not appear to be suspicious.
The last fatal fire in New Rochelle occurred in April 2008.
