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The blaze broke out in Beacon around 6:26 p.m. at 9 Alice St., where the Beacon Fire Department was dispatched following multiple reports of a structure fire with people trapped inside. Upon arrival, firefighters confirmed heavy flames coming from the front of the house and three vehicles parked in front.
Firefighters from Beacon, Castle Point, and the Village of Fishkill, along with Beacon Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Medic 1 (Ambulnz), and Beacon Police, responded to the two-alarm fire. Initial attack lines were deployed to knock down heavy fire conditions both outside and inside the structure. A deck gun was used to suppress the flames on the front exterior, while firefighters searched for those inside the building.
Three of the four occupants managed to escape the structure before fire crews arrived and were transported to area hospitals for burn-related injuries. Tragically, the fourth occupant—identified as Eugene "Gene" Murphy, a retired City of Beacon Highway Department Supervisor—did not survive the fire.
Murphy, who dedicated 30 years of service to the city before retiring, was found dead in the living room on the first floor during a secondary search by firefighters from Beacon and Castle Point Fire Departments. He had not been able to escape the flames in time.
All occupants were initially believed to have escaped safely, but the grim discovery of Murphy’s body came during a secondary sweep of the first floor, firefighters said on Wednesday, April 16.
Four Beacon firefighters and two from Castle Point sustained minor injuries while battling the intense blaze. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Dutchess County Fire Investigation Division and Beacon Police. The home at 9 Alice St. has been condemned, and the neighboring house at 15 Alice St. suffered some heat damage.
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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