Colonie Police identified the victims as:
- Lynne Lyons, 72
- Kateleyn Ryan, 33, daughter of Lynne
- Timothy Ryan, 42, husband to Katelyn
Emergency crews in Colonie responded to a residential fire on Locust Park shortly before 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27, as Daily Voice reported. Firefighters and police arrived to find the home fully engulfed in flames and multiple residents trapped inside, Colonie Police said.
Despite the efforts of first responders, three people died and two others were taken by ambulance to Albany Medical Center Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Tommy Lyons Jr., who resides at the home, posted a heart-wrenching video on Facebook showing the dwelling completely swallowed in flames as firefighters worked the perimeter.
“I’m burned,” he says while holding up his visibly injured hands. “I’m severely burned.”
Lyons said the fire started on the front porch and spread so quickly that he had to dive through flames out a back door to escape. He said he didn’t know if three others made it out.
“I can't find them,” he says in the clip. “It’s bad. It’s bad.”
In a follow-up post, Lyons shared that he was at the hospital being treated for second-degree burns to his face and arms. He has since been transferred to a burn unit in Syracuse .
“I'm so devastated right now I can't even put my emotions into words but I did everything I could to try to save them but it just wasn't enough,” Lyons wrote. He went on to thank the Colonie police and fire departments “for saving our lives.”
“You guys went full beast mode and I can’t thank you enough. Genuine heroes all around,” he said. “If you are reading this, tell someone you love them tonight because it only takes two minutes for everything to be ripped away.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation, Colonie Police said. First responders were also hindered by “hoarding” conditions inside the home, fire officials added.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Briarcliff and receive free news updates.