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Police & Fire
Large Brush Fire Erupts In Hudson Valley Near Country Club Large Brush Fire Erupts In Hudson Valley Near Country Club
Large Brush Fire Erupts In Hudson Valley Near Country Club Several fire and police departments are battling a large brush fire near a country club in the Hudson Valley.  The fire began in Putnam County on Thursday, Oct. 24 around 11:30 a.m. in the area of Golf Ridge Road and China Circle Court near the Sedgewood Club golf course in the town of Kent, the Putnam County Bureau of Emergency Services announced around 12:45 p.m.  Several departments are now operating at the scene of the fire. A Department of Environmental Protection helicopter is also circling the skies over the blaze providing images from the air, officials said.  M…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Car Fire Extends To Surrounding Woods In Hudson Valley Car Fire Extends To Surrounding Woods In Hudson Valley
Car Fire Extends To Surrounding Woods In Hudson Valley A blaze that consumed a vehicle in the Hudson Valley became even worse after it extended to the surrounding woods. The incident happened in Putnam County on Wednesday, July 10 just after 9:30 p.m., when a car caught on fire in Carmel in the area of Gipsy Trail Road, according to the Lake Carmel Fire Department. Arriving crews soon discovered that the blaze had extended to the surrounding woods. Despite the complication, firefighters were able to quickly put out the flames with help from the Frozen Fun Ice Cream Truck, which helped crews at the scene by providing them with frozen treats.…

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by Ben Crnic
Obituaries
NY Veteran's Lifelong 'Secret' Revealed In Heartbreaking Obituary Going Viral NY Veteran's Lifelong 'Secret' Revealed In Heartbreaking Obituary Going Viral
NY Veteran's Lifelong 'Secret' Revealed In Heartbreaking Obituary Going Viral A decorated veteran and retired firefighter from upstate New York is going viral for his heartbreaking posthumous revelation. Lifelong Rensselaer County resident Col. Edward Thomas Ryan, of Rensselaer, died with a long-kept secret that rendered him “afraid of being ostracized,” he wrote in his own obituary, which was published in the Albany Times Union on Saturday, June 8. "I must tell you one more thing. I was gay all my life: thru grade school, thru high school, thru college, thru life,” Ryan wrote. “I'm sorry for not having the courage to come out as gay. I was afraid of being ostraciz…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Blaze Sparks At Northern Westchester Restaurant Blaze Sparks At Northern Westchester Restaurant
Blaze Sparks At Northern Westchester Restaurant A blaze at a Northern Westchester restaurant was stopped from being worse than it could have been thanks to the quick actions of firefighters.  The fire happened on Monday, June 6 just after 2:30 a.m. at Coral Seafood Restaurant in Yorktown Heights at 63 Route 6, according to the Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department, which helped respond to the blaze.  Thanks to the work of fire crews, more extensive damage to the building was prevented, the department said.  The cause of the fire was not released. 

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by Ben Crnic
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
Police & Fire
Hudson Valley Home Destroyed In Early Morning Blaze: Occupants, Firefighters Escape Unharmed Hudson Valley Home Destroyed In Early Morning Blaze: Occupants, Firefighters Escape Unharmed
Hudson Valley Home Destroyed In Early Morning Blaze: Occupants, Firefighters Escape Unharmed A raging house fire in the Hudson Valley required firefighters to quickly improvise and utilize a water source a mile away to extinguish the blaze.  New, updated report - Update: Support Rises For Mahopac Family Who Lost 'Dream Home' In Blaze The incident happened in Putnam County on Wednesday, Jan. 24, when a residence in Mahopac on Old Bullet Hole Road caught on fire just before 2 a.m., according to Mahopac Falls Volunteer Fire Department Public Information Officer Ellen Sacher.  Crews soon arrived at the single-family home and found it fully engulfed by flames. They …

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by Ben Crnic
Obituaries
Lifelong Firefighter, Northern Westchester Native Dies: 'His Legacy Will Undoubtedly Live On' Lifelong Firefighter, Northern Westchester Native Dies: 'His Legacy Will Undoubtedly Live On'
Lifelong Firefighter, Northern Westchester Native Dies: 'His Legacy Will Undoubtedly Live On' A Hudson Valley resident who spent decades protecting his community as a firefighter is being remembered for his selflessness and outgoing nature.  Putnam County resident Dennis Rotenberg of Garrison died on Saturday, Jan. 13 at the age of 71, according to his obituary.  Born in the Northern Westchester city of Peekskill in 1952, Rotenberg attended Lakeland High School in Shrub Oak and went on to work with City Carting of Westchester for three decades.  After moving to Garrison, he joined the Garrison Volunteer Fire Company in May 1985 and served as a firefighter f…

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by Ben Crnic
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 Retired Westchester Firefighter, Union President Dies: 'Already Deeply Missed' Beloved Retired Westchester Firefighter, Union President Dies: 'Already Deeply Missed'
Beloved Retired Westchester Firefighter, Union President Dies: 'Already Deeply Missed' A Westchester fire department is mourning the loss of a beloved retired member from the Hudson Valley who was always the biggest presence in the room.  Dutchess County resident John Garbowski of Hopewell Junction, who served with the Yonkers Fire Department for two decades, died unexpectedly on Wednesday, Jan. 3 at the age of 66, according to his obituary.  Born in Yonkers in 1957, Garbowski originally joined the Yonkers Fire Department in 1989, when he was assigned to Engine 304 before later being assigned to Station 13.  A few years later in 1992, he moved back t…

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by Ben Crnic
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
Police & Fire
Early-Morning House Fire Causes Roof Collapse In Hudson Valley Early-Morning House Fire Causes Roof Collapse In Hudson Valley
Early-Morning House Fire Causes Roof Collapse In Hudson Valley A fast-moving early morning blaze caused the roof of a Hudson Valley residence to collapse before crews even arrived to put out the flames.  The fire happened in Putnam County on Thursday morning, July 20 around 6 a.m., when firefighters were sent to a home in Cold Spring on Kemble Avenue that had gone up in flames.  According to Cold Spring Fire Company No. 1, arriving crews found that the structure's roof had collapsed and that everyone who had been inside the home was outside.  This morning at 06:00 AM CSFC was dispatched to a structure fire on Kemble Avenue in the village. Upon a …

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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