Five people perished, two of them minors, in a devastating Saturday morning house fire in a community north of New York City, emergency officials say.
Local police and fire department members rushed to a home on South Lake Street in the Village of Spring Valley around 4 a.m. for reports of a fully-involved fire.
The growing fire had already engulfed much of the structure upon their arrival and prevented arriving fire units from accessing the residence where several people were reportedly trapped inside, Rockland County Executive Ed Day explained at a late morning briefing.
Search and rescue efforts got underway by 4:45 a.m. once firefighters managed to knock down the fire and gain entrance to the "two family house," officials explained.
Crews found three people on the second floor and two others on the first floor, possibly fallen from a partial collapse during the fire. Their identities and ages were not immediately released.
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In addition to the deceased, county officials said another five people suffered injuries as well as one of the many responding firefighters. At least one of the victims suffered injuries from jumping out of a second story window.
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Fire victims are being assisted by the Red Cross at the Village of Spring Valley Police Department.
The home sits down the street, within walking distance, of the adult home where a resident and volunteer firefighter died in a blaze in March 2021. Although there is no apparent connection between the deadly fires at the Lake Street home and Evergreen Court facility, the latter was top of mind for officials Saturday morning.
"Having been at both scenes, I can certainly agree with you, it is a very eerie feeling," Day said.
The cause of the house fire is still under investigation.
