NEWBURGH – An Orange County grand jury has begun issuing subpoenas to officials and others in the City of Newburgh in the wake of the devastating Lander Street fire in which a 63-year-old woman perished, sources have told Mid-Hudson News.
Critics of the city’s administration claim the city’s reduction in first-alarm fire response led to the woman’s death. They maintain a larger initial response regarding staffing and equipment could have led to a different outcome.
City officials dispute that and said other factors prevented firefighters from saving the woman’s life.
The grand jury will explore good governance practices, staffing, and budgeting issues.
At the conclusion of the investigation, the grand jury is expected to issue a lengthy report similar to what was drafted following the investigation into the scandal of grade and attendance rigging for student-athletes in the Newburgh Enlarged City School District.
District Attorney David Hoovler declined to comment on the Mid-Hudson News report of a grand jury investigation.
