Four firefighters were sent to the hospital during a three-alarm fire in the City of Newburgh yesterday. The inferno drew a response from multiple fire departments from Orange and Dutchess Counties.
The Newburgh News originally reported on the fire yesterday afternoon (story here). The City of Newburgh Fire Department received a call for a building fire at 96 Overlook Place at 3:04 pm yesterday. The fire was at a three-story row house diagonally across from South Middle School in the Heights section of the city. Newburgh firefighters reported as they were leaving the Public Safety Building downtown, they could already see the smoke.
An Assistant Chief from the City of Newburgh Fire Department arrived on the scene to find the entire rear of the building engulfed in flames. He immediately called for a second alarm. The fire spread to neighboring 94 Overlook Place. As multiple fire departments worked diligently, the stubborn blaze continued ballooning through numerous voids and cocklofts in the buildings. Nearly an hour and a half into the fire, a third alarm needed to be called. High temperatures, high humidity, and widespread hidden pockets of fire made work extremely difficult for firefighters.
City of Newburgh Fire Chief Frank Spinelli violated and condemned 94 and 96 Overlook Place as a result of the fire. According to City of Newburgh officials, the cause of the fire remains under investigation but appears to be unintentional.
In addition to the numerous fire departments and ambulances listed in yesterday’s story, the City of Newburgh Police Department, City of Newburgh Water Department, Central Hudson, and the Red Cross all assisted at the scene.
The four injured firefighters were evaluated at St. Luke’s Hospital. There is no update to their conditions.
This makes seven firefighters that were injured fighting house fires in the City of Newburgh in three days. On Saturday, three firefighters were sent to the hospital while fighting a two-alarm house fire on South Street (story here).
