POUGHKEEPSIE – Firefighters prevented a blaze from completely destroying a house on Whittier Boulevard, less than 1,000 feet from the Hooker Avenue firehouse in Poughkeepsie. The lightweight truss construction allows fire to rapidly spread through a structure, and the quick work of the firefighters avoided that, according to Poughkeepsie Fire Chief Joe Franco.
911 Dispatch received a report of a fire at at Whittier Boulevard address at 7:59 p.m. Tuesday. Upon arrival, responders found heavy flames inside of the two-and-a-half-story, wood-frame house, and a second alarm was transmitted, bringing in manpower and equipment from area departments, including Fairview and Arlington, which responded to the scene.
No residents were in the building at the time of the fire which was considered under control at 8:35 p.m., according to Poughkeepsie Deputy Fire Chief Vincent Parise. He noted that Arlington and Fairview firefighters were released from the scene shortly after the fire was under control and Poughkeepsie firefighters remained on the scene until 10:35 p.m.
The cause and exact origin of the fire are under investigation.
