Three people died in an overnight Hudson Valley house fire that grew so intense first responders couldn't get in to try to rescue anyone, even though they were told there may be residents trapped inside, authorities said Thursday.
Police first responded to a call on Highland Avenue just before 1 a.m. The house was fully engulfed when they got there.
"My neighbor in the back came banging on the door. Then I came out and it was just unbelievable — it’s something you’d see on one of these horror movies," said neighbor Lucette Miles.
Neighbors told police the residents, a family, could still be inside, but police say officers couldn't enter because of heavy fire conditions. Firefighters immediately began extinguishing the blaze and tried to rescue anyone once they arrived.
After getting through the front part of the home, where it seems the fire started, firefighters worked to reach three people trapped inside: Kalman Goldstein, his wife Sarah and their elementary school-age daughter Miriam. None of the three survived.
"We knocked it down pretty quick, within 15 minutes of arrival, then the rest was to get it out, but it was obviously already too late for the family," said 1st Assistant Fire Chief Jonathan Dolch.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
The family had moved to Monroe just over a two years ago from Brooklyn. They were laid to rest Thursday afternoon.
Local
The investigation is ongoing, and the cause of the fire was not yet known. Orange County investigators were combing the charred remains of the home for clues, but the county executive issued a sobering reminder after what wasn't found inside.
"There were no smoke detectors inside the home. This is a sad reminder to always have detectors and batteries," said Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Monroe Police Department at 845-782-8644.
