NEW ROCHELLE, NY — New Rochelle firefighters feel fortunate that the call came in quickly for a fire at 215 Union Avenue in New Rochelle.
A call came in for “smoke in the structure”.
“Another few minutes and we could have lost the whole structure,” said one firefighter.
Captain Martin Gotte, an Acting Deputy Chief, said that upon arrival firefighters encountered smoke coming from three different sides of the structure.
“We found the fire on the first floor, and second floor, with very little extension to the third floor,” said Gotte.
“We stretched three lines, four engines, two trucks,” he added, about 25 firefighters were on scene.
The call came in about 4:50 pm. It took about 40 minutes to knock down the fire.
“We were on our way to the North End for a gas call in a structure,” said Gotte. “I had to divert a truck and an engine from the North End to down here”
No injuries were reported.
“We were lucky that it was called in quickly and we made a great stop thanks to our hard-working men
The cause was likely electrical but is not considered suspicious.
Many residents were displaced but an exact count was unknown in the immediate aftermath of the fire. The fire department is working with Habitat for Humanity Westchester to find temporary shelter for families displaced by the fire. Jim Killoran said he estimated 40 people displaced.
“We will have to shut the power off due to the extensive damage in the apartments,” said Gotte.