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Police & Fire
Hudson Valley Apartment Fire Injures 2, Leaves 50 Homeless Hudson Valley Apartment Fire Injures 2, Leaves 50 Homeless
Hudson Valley Apartment Fire Injures 2, Leaves 50 Homeless A resident and a firefighter were injured during a fire at a three-story Hudson Valley apartment building. The blaze occurred in Rockland County around 9:30 p.m., Monday, April 22, at the Surrey Carlton Apartments on Ewing Avenue in Spring Valley. According to the Spring Valley Police and Mark Lieb of Rockland Video Productions, officers found a fire with heavy flames and smoke coming from the living room of a top-floor apartment. Police told Lieb that a woman was trapped unconscious inside, suffering from smoke inhalation. Unidentified neighbors brought her downstairs to safety. She was t…

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by Kathy Reakes
Obituaries
Lifelong Hudson Valley Resident Who Served As Fire Chief, Owned Catering Business Dies At 70 Lifelong Hudson Valley Resident Who Served As Fire Chief, Owned Catering Business Dies At 70
Lifelong Hudson Valley Resident Who Served As Fire Chief, Owned Catering Business Dies At 70 A popular lifelong Hudson Valley former fire chief and catering business owner known for his love of cooking has died at the age of 70. Ulster County resident Michael B. Hackett, of Highland, passed away on Monday, Jan. 15. He was born on Sunday, June 7, 1953, in Poughkeepsie, to the late Francis and the late Rita (McGrath) Hackett, according to his obituary.  He was a resident all of his life. He was a graduate of Roy C. Ketcham High School in Wappingers Falls and a member of St. Martin de Porres Church in Poughkeepsie, his obituary said,  Retired from Geodis/IBM of Poughkeepsie…

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by Kathy Reakes
Obituaries
Beloved Westchester Firefighter Dies Years After Collapsing At Residential Blaze Beloved Westchester Firefighter Dies Years After Collapsing At Residential Blaze
Beloved Westchester Firefighter Dies Years After Collapsing At Residential Blaze A city in Westchester is mourning the loss of a beloved firefighter who is being celebrated for his bravery and dedication to his community.  Mount Vernon Firefighter Lamont “Wise” Killian, Jr., died from heart-related issues on Monday, Dec. 11 at the age of 51, city officials announced.  According to the US Fire Administration, Killian had been off-duty since collapsing at the scene of a residential fire on June 22, 2019, when he suffered a heart attack.  Killian's city is now remembering him as someone who was always prepared to help people.  "Your bravery …

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by Ben Crnic
Obituaries
Former Fire Chief, Air Force Vet From Northern Westchester Dies Former Fire Chief, Air Force Vet From Northern Westchester Dies
Former Fire Chief, Air Force Vet From Northern Westchester Dies A former fire chief and lifelong Northern Westchester resident who dedicated much of his life to firefighting has died.  Yorktown Heights resident Arthur Orneck, who served as the Chief of the Yorktown Heights Volunteer Fire Department between 1986 and 1987, died on Tuesday, April 4 at the age of 74, according to his obituary.   Born in White Plains in 1948, Orneck lived his entire life in Yorktown Heights and worked as a professional firefighter for the Greenville Fire District in Scarsdale for 20 years before retiring in 2000.  Additionally, he was also a 58-year…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Video: Driver From Rockland, 22, Escapes Burning Jeep Moments Before It Bursts Into Flames Video: Driver From Rockland, 22, Escapes Burning Jeep Moments Before It Bursts Into Flames
Video: Driver From Rockland, 22, Escapes Burning Jeep Moments Before It Bursts Into Flames A 22-year-old motorist from Rockland County avoided a frightful fate after a crash ignited a ferocious fire that quickly engulfed her Jeep. The motorist didn't have much time after her Patriot slammed into a utility pole in Old Tappan on Westwood Avenue between Stone Point Park and Washington Avenue South. "Wires fell to the ground, igniting a leaf pile," Old Tappan Police Chief Joseph J. Tracy said. "The fire worked its way to leaves underneath the vehicle -- which ignited the vehicle itself." Christian Michael provided the videos and photo for this story: Old Tappan firefighters had to…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
House Destroyed After Massive Fire Breaks Out In Hudson Valley House Destroyed After Massive Fire Breaks Out In Hudson Valley
House Destroyed After Massive Fire Breaks Out In Hudson Valley Several fire departments battled a Hudson Valley house fire that destroyed the large home while having to bring in water due to the lack of fire hydrants. The fire took place in Dutchess County in Rhinebeck on Kipp Road around 11:30 p.m., Saturday, May 21. According to the Rhinebeck Fire Department, first arriving firefighters from both Hillside and Rhinebeck found the 2,000-square-foot house fully engulfed in flames. Due to the location of the home, several fire tankers "drafted" in thousands of gallons of water from a nearby pond, the Rhinebeck Fire Department said. The fire was pl…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Mother, Son Escape After House Fire Breaks Out In Area Mother, Son Escape After House Fire Breaks Out In Area
Mother, Son Escape After House Fire Breaks Out In Area A mother and a son managed to escape an intense Hudson Valley house fire that was gas-fed. The fire took place around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 2, at a two-family home located in Putnam County at 2592 Carmel Ave., in Brewster. According to the Brewster Fire Department, first arriving firefighters were given reports of a mother and son still trapped in the fully engulfed home.  Smoke from the gas-fed fire.Brewster Fire Department Firefighters made several attempts to enter the home to search for the trapped residents but were driven back by the intense fire, the department said.  A sho…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Three-Alarm Fire Breaks Out At Apartment Complex In Area Three-Alarm Fire Breaks Out At Apartment Complex In Area
Three-Alarm Fire Breaks Out At Apartment Complex In Area A mother and a newborn were able to escape a roaring three-alarm apartment fire in the area due to a warning from a smoke detector.  The blaze broke out in Ulster County around 12:50 p.m., Monday, Jan. 31, at 109 Rondout Drive in Kingston. When Kingston firefighters arrived on the scene located at the Roundout Gardens Apartments, they found heavy fire coming from a second-floor apartment, extending to the attic, said the Kingston Fire Department. When the fire started, the mother and her newborn were able to escape without injuries due to a smoke detector, the department said. "She was a…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Blaze Breaks Out At Home In Area Blaze Breaks Out At Home In Area
Blaze Breaks Out At Home In Area A fire destroyed the first floor of a home in the Hudson Valley overnight. The blaze broke out in Orange County around 6 p.m., Monday, Jan. 31 at the home located on Orchard Street in Port Jervis, said the Port Jervis Fire Department. When firefighters arrived on the scene in under two minutes they found an active fire on the first floor of the home.  Crews from Truck 7 forced entry into the home while Engine 1 and Engine 2 advanced a line to the first floor, officials said. The home.Port Jefferson Fire Department  While crews were making a push and performing searches, numerous propa…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
House Fire Breaks Out In Area House Fire Breaks Out In Area
House Fire Breaks Out In Area One firefighter was hospitalized battling an overnight fire that broke out in an area home, officials announced. First responders in Putnam County from the Mahopac Falls Volunteer Fire Department and Carmel Police Department responded to a Secor Road home at approximately 9:15 p.m. on Wednesday, June 16, where there was a report of a deck on fire with an elderly resident possibly inside the home. Officials said that upon arrival, first responders found an active fire and heavy smoke condition at the property, as the flames had spread from the deck to the residence. Crews from the Mahopac V…

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by Zak Failla
News
Firefighter, Ex-Marine Found Dead In His Hudson Valley Home, Possible Line Of Duty Death Firefighter, Ex-Marine Found Dead In His Hudson Valley Home, Possible Line Of Duty Death
Firefighter, Ex-Marine Found Dead In His Hudson Valley Home, Possible Line Of Duty Death A Hudson Valley firefighter who served two tours in Afghanistan and earned a Purple Heart was found dead in his home after responding to multiple calls during Tropical Storm Isaias. The Vails Gate Fire Department in Orange County announced that firefighter Alec Tannenbaum, a volunteer firefighter there who worked as a federal firefighter for the United States Military in West Point, was found dead in his home on Tuesday, Aug. 4. The 29-year-old Tannenbaum completed an on-duty shift on Tuesday with the West Point Fire Department before responding to numerous alarms while volunteering in Vail…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
VIDEO: Firefighters Battle Propane Tank Blaze At Bergen/Rockland Border VIDEO: Firefighters Battle Propane Tank Blaze At Bergen/Rockland Border
Video: Firefighters Battle Propane Tank Blaze At Bergen/Rockland Border Firefighters battled a Monday afternoon blaze fueled by a propane tank in the rear of a Mahwah home at the New York border. The fire was reported around 3:20 p.m. on Doremus Road in Mahwah just off East Crescent Avenue (which becomes Church Road in NY), barely 500 yards from the Airmont line. Flames spread to the eaves and parts of the interior of the home as firefighters from several companies converged on the scene. The fire then went to three alarms for coverage about 45 minutes later. Assisting township firefighters were, among others, their colleagues from Suffern, Tallman, Ramsey, …

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by Jerry DeMarco