SHAWANGUNK – A father and his seven-year-old son died in a house fire early Sunday morning in the Town of Shawangunk, the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office reports.
At about 12:30 a.m., police, fire, and EMS personnel responded to a fire at 550 Burnt Meadow Road.
First responders found a nine-year-old girl outside. She had been pushed out a window to safety by her father, later identified at Joseph Hull, 50. He was reported to have remained in the home to locate another child, seven-year-old Joseph Hull.
Firefighters were eventually able to locate and remove both from home. They were transported to Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh where they were later pronounced dead.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but foul play is not currently suspected, police said.
The sheriff’s office was assisted by the State Police.
Firefighters were eventually able to locate and remove both from home. They were transported to Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh where they were later pronounced dead.
Olivia Venier, 20, is a neighbor who was shaken by the tragedy.
“My mom yesterday had seen the little boy out here on his four-wheeler. They had trees up that used to have little faces on them. I always ride my bike by here, walk by here. It’s absolutely tragic to have lost two members of the community. Even if it is not tight knit, everyone at least knows of the houses on here and sees the family out all the time,” she told Mid-Hudson News.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but foul play is not currently suspected, police said. Empty fireworks boxes were strewn across the lawn in front of the burned out structure.
The sheriff’s office was assisted by the State Police, Town of Shawangunk Police, State Office of Fire Prevention and Control, fire departments from Shawangunk Valley, Walker Valley, Gardiner and Modena, as well as Mobile Like Support Services and New Paltz Rescue Squad.
