ARLINGTON – Fire believed to have started in garbage cans up against the outside of a home at 191 Vassar Road near the Red Oaks Mill fire station in the Town of Poughkeepsie, destroyed the residence and attached garage early Monday.
The family of seven was awakened just after 3 a.m. by the sounding of smoke detectors.
While all residents escaped unharmed, some had to climb out of small basement windows because flames blocked access to stairs and an outside door. The family dog, however, remains unaccounted for and is believed to a victim of the fire.
The American Red Cross is assisting the family with temporary shelter.
With temperatures in the low 20s, and high winds with gusts over 25 miles per hour, the fire was difficult to extinguish and took over an hour to get under control, said Arlington Fire Chief William Steenbergh.
There were no injuries to firefighters.
Assisting Arlington at the scene were the City of Poughkeepsie Fire Department, Mobile Life Support Services, Town of Poughkeepsie Building Department, Poughkeepsie Town Police, Dutchess County Highway Department and Central Hudson Gas and Electric.
New Hamburg, Pleasant Valley and New Hackensack departments were dispatched to standby in Arlington stations.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation but is not considered suspicious.
Steenberg warned that families who have converted basement spaces into sleeping areas should be especially careful to have a secondary means of escape, should the cellar stairs become blocked by fire. He said many homes have basement windows that are too small for a person to escape through, or too close to the ceiling to reach. Specifically designed exit windows will safely allow for both adults and children to safely escape, the chief said.
