Teen dies after being pulled from burning home in Peekskill
Firefighters performed CPR before he was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital, where he later died.
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A 15-year-old boy has died after a fast-moving fire tore through a home Wednesday night in Peekskill.
Firefighters responded just after 6 p.m. to a two-family home on High Street, where they found heavy fire coming from the second floor.
Crews searching the building located the unconscious teenager on the second floor and removed him from the home.
Firefighters performed CPR before he was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital, where he later died.
Fire officials say a broken window and an open front door helped fuel the flames.
“The second-floor window was broken or failed somehow, and it led to a rapid fire growth,” said Chief James Seymour.
Officials say the conditions created a flow path that allowed the fire to spread quickly through the home.
Neighbors and displaced residents returned to the scene Thursday, describing how they were alerted to escape.
“Somebody came knocking for them to get out of the house,” said Laura Herrera, translating for her mother.
Residents were only able to grab a few belongings before leaving.
The Red Cross is assisting those displaced, providing temporary housing and support.
Officials say the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The fire chief added that mental health services are being offered to firefighters who responded.
Damage from fire clouds future of long-neglected site of former psychiatric center in Poughkeepsie
Questions are growing about the future of the long-vacant site of a former psychiatric center in Poughkeepsie after a fire damaged key buildings.
Plans had called for redeveloping the property into housing, reusing six buildings including the administration building that was heavily damaged.
A developer has owned the site since 2015, but the project has stalled over the past decade.
Preservationists say they are now trying to assess what remains following the fire.
They note the buildings have sat vacant for years, with reports of people repeatedly entering the structures despite efforts to secure them.
“I don’t know what’s next for this site,” said Yvonne Laube of the Town of Poughkeepsie Historic Preservation Board.
“We’ll take it from there and see what’s left, inventory what is left and see what can be saved and what can be reused,” she said.
The cause of the fire has not been determined.
Officials and preservation groups say the next steps will depend on how much of the site can still be salvaged.
