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Crews from the Arlington Fire Department responded to the Greenbriar Condominiums on South Road (Route 9) in Poughkeepsie at approximately 6:35 p.m. on Saturday, April 3, where there was a report of smoke coming from underneath the sink of a unit.
Arlington Fire Chief William Steenbergh said that a volunteer member of Arlington who lives in that complex exited his home and observed a large quantity of smoke in the area. He was also able to determine that the fire was not in the original caller’s home, but rather the adjacent second-floor unit, and that the occupant of that residence was unaccounted for.
Steenbergh said that the volunteer firefighter attempted, but failed, to gain access to the condo unit due to the accumulation of items inside the condo that were blocking the door.
First responders were at the scene within three minutes, prompting a second alarm that led to a further response from the Arlington and City of Poughkeepsie Fire Departments, as well as Mobile Life Support EMS.
According to officials, firefighters managed to force the door open wide enough to allow two firefighters into the condo, who proceeded up the stairs, where they found the resident, unconscious, barely breathing, and suffering from extreme burns.
The resident, a 60-year-old man, was removed from the condo and treated by paramedics at the scene as a helicopter was called to transport him to the Westchester Medical Center.
However, after being placed in an ambulance, the resident died from his injuries before the helicopter arrived when he went into cardiac arrest and could not be resuscitated. He was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at approximately 7:05 p.m. on April 3.
Steenbergh noted that the fire was knocked down by firefighters within 20 minutes of their arrival at the condominium complex.
Assisting Arlington at the scene of the fire were the City of Poughkeepsie Fire Department, Mobile Life Support Services, Town of Poughkeepsie Building Department, Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department, LifeNet Helicopter, and Central Hudson Gas & Electric.
The New Hamburg, Pleasant Valley, and New Hackensack Fire Districts were dispatched to standby in Arlington stations.
According to Steenbergh, the cause of the fire was investigated by the Arlington Fire District Investigation Division and the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department.
Investigators said that the fire originated in the kitchen and appears to be related to cooking. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but is not considered suspicious.
The name of the victim has not been released.
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