A home in New Castle was destroyed by flames early Sunday morning when a fire likely spread from the fireplace to the attic, said Mount Kisco Fire Department Chief Tom Jackson.
Firefighters from Mount Kisco responded to the call at 9 Gray Rock Park Rd. around 2 a.m. and, with the help of mutual aid from Bedford Hills and Chappaqua, knocked down the main body in half and hour. Altogether, two hours were spent extinguishing the flames. The house is now unlivable, said the chief.
"Another one started by a fireplace," said Jackson, referring to an accidental fire last Thursday night in New Castle.
This morning's blaze likely started in the fireplace, which the homeowner was using to heat his roughly 3,000-square-foot ranch that remained without power, and spread up the outside wall and into the attic. When units arrived at the scene, the flames were already through the roof.
Jackson said it was a "difficult fire to fight."
No injuries were reported to the homeowner or firefighters. The rest of the family who lived in the home had previously moved out because of the lack of power.
"Regular home fireplaces are not designed to be heating your house," cautioned Jackson. "Fireplaces in the living room are not designed to burn for days on end. They get too hot."
Millwood and Ossining fire departments covered the rest of Mount Kisco during the incident.
You are absolutely correct in noting that this is a tremendous public safety problem. If anyone was killed in that fire...or if anyone suffers injury before all roads are accessible by first responders, I fear the town will shoulder significant blame and need to fight serious lawsuits. This storm was unprecedented, but it was far from a secret. I'm appalled that our officials squandered the advance notice we had and didn't attempt to line up resources until the damage was done. We pay the highest taxes in the nation. At the very least we deserve competence, common sense and a modicum of action from the people we elect. Look for me on the ballot next time:)
If our town had a plan, Lori and the rest of us NC residents wouldn't be trying to come up with creative solutions on our own...feasible or not. Thanks for pointing out the difficulties and liabilities in assessing the status of downed wires
The response, or rather the lack thereof, to the emergency facing our town is nothing short of negligent. I pray that nobody loses their life in New Castle due to the failure of our town's government to do their job both before and after the storm. A week has passed and the town is still clearing trees from roads. The actual restoration of telephone poles and wires is such a distant hope for so many New Castle residents that they have simply abandoned their homes in search of normalcy elsewhere. Lori bravo to you for illuminating the failings of the New Castle government while simultaneously recognizing the hard work performed by the men on the ground in both New Castle and Mt. Kisco. It is sad that well run towns bordering New Castle on all sides are back to normal soon after the storm while we are barely surviving day to day. I wish I could gin up more optimism but I fear that the one-party rule in New Castle will guaranty that nobody will be held politically accountable for the mishandling of Sandy.
It was my home that burned that night, and we are extraordinarily grateful to the three departments that so swiftly responded. My husband was asleep on the sofa and at the time of the fire, there was actually NO fire in the fireplace! The fire marshall explained that the exterior of the fireplace was not built to code and was basically turning to kindling every single time we lit a fire. It was a very rare night, I had taken my three children, one of whom is special needs, to my sister's home for warmth. We were dog sitting for a friend and that dog jumped on my husband and awoke him at 2am. We have an amazing neighborhood and tremendous support from the community. I cannot express our gratitude enough; we are lucky to be alive and extremely thankful the trees were cleared by those who live on the block. Let's all raise our glasses to a new year ahead and hopefully a very safe one too.