BEACON – Firefighters
from the City of Beacon and several area fire companies battled a blaze
at a house at 98 Rombout Avenue for 11 hours on Friday. Four occupants
were sent to the hospital, three with serious burns, said Fire Chief Gary
VanVoorhis.
The cause of the blaze that broke out at 4:44 a.m. in the 2 ½ story
house is under investigation by the Dutchess County Fire Investigation
Unit and Beacon detectives.
All four occupants of the house were over the age of 18, VanVoorhis said.
They included a brother and sister, the sister’s boyfriend and their
mother. They were all transported by ambulance to St. Luke’s Cornwall
Hospital in Newburgh with three later transferred to the Westchester Medical
Center burn unit for serious burns, the chief said.
Three of the residents ran through the fire and out the front door. The
fourth jumped from a window.
One dog perished and another was saved. One firefighter slipped on ice
and was slightly injured but remained on the scene.
VanVoorhis said they had difficulty fire the blaze as a fire hose ruptured,
a live power line fell to the ground and there was severe icing.
