Update, 2:31 p.m.: Tarrytown Fire Chief Eugene Gasparre said he was the first on the scene—only minutes after the call came in—and the last to leave, but a massive emergency response wasn't enough to save the red wooden house at 31 Loh Avenue.
Gasparre figured that the fire, which started on an upper floor, got reported anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes after its beginnings. A neighbor across the street made the call, as the older couple who live in the home weren't home.
When Gasparre arrived minutes later he said flames were coming out of the roof, that eventually collapsed in on one side. "The fire got ahead of us," Gasparre said.
Fire crews hailed from Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Pocantico Hills, with ambulance crews on standby from Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow, Con Edison gas and electrical teams, and county Department of Emergency Services and fire origin investigation teams.
Gasparre said a neighbor suffered a minor panic attack and one firefighter had some sort of dust or dirt in his eye but that both refused medical treatment with no one requiring transport to the hospital.
The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, Gasparre said.
"Bad day," said Gasparre. "But the fire departments did an excellent job."
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Original post, 11:25 a.m.: A residential house fire that was reported just after 9:40 this morning is under control now, Tarrytown Police report.
Loh area neighbor Jaime Echt shared these photos (some of them taken from the third floor of another neighbor's house) showing extensive damage with half the roof gone. The red colonial is wood-shingled.
On one side of the house is a ladder truck from Elmsford fully extended, on the other, Tarrytown's Conqueror 37, each with teams at work, spraying a combination of water and white retardant to finish the job. The wood is still smoldering.
Neighbors report that an older couple lives in the house. They apparently were not home during a fire neighbors believe began in the attic, though officials have not confirmed this. Tarrytown Volunteer Ambulance Corps is on standby but no injuries have been reported.
Westchester County Fire Origins Team are on the scene investigating the cause of the blaze, along with Village Engineer Mike McGarvey, Ladies Auxiliary #7780 handing out water, and fire crews from Irvington, Dobbs Ferry, Sleepy Hollow's Union Hose #2.
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