Firefighters battled ice along with a raging blaze
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.
Fire Chief Gary VanVoorhis said 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,. 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 second-floor window.
Injured were Gloria Gamble, Arielle Gamble, Christian Matias, and Raequan Keemer.
One dog died but 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.
