Beacon, Rombout, and Other Area Firefighters Battle 5 Alarm Fire
Photos and story by Jim Tompkins
Beacon, N.Y. – On Tuesday, December 21, 2004 around midnight the City of Beacon Fire Department responded to check out a light smoke condition in the area of 353 Fishkill Av. Upon the arrival of the first engine, they found a fire in the basement of 3 story 75 x 75 balloon framed structure. The fire had spread in the walls of the structure. As an added obstacle, firefighters had to battle the fire in near 0 degree temperatures. A 5th alarm was struck about 01:30. Firefighters remained on scene until about 9:00 am when the fire was finally out.
The Beacon Fire Department was assisted by the Glenham, Rombout, Village of Fishkill, North Highlands (Putnam County), and New Hamburg Fire Departments on scene. The Chelsea, Village of Wappingers and Middle Hope (Orange County) Fire Department’s provided stand by for the city until 11:30 am and had assisted with putting equipment back in service. The Cronomer Valley Fire Department (Orange County) provided coverage to the Rombout Fire Department. The Arlington Fire Department had assisted with delivering fuel for multiple fire apparatus.
The Beacon Volunteer Ambulance Corp. and Alamo Ambulance provided EMS coverage. There were no reported injuries. The Salvation Army provided refreshments to the firefighters. The Red Cross provided shelter to the 21 victims that were left homeless. The Beacon Fire Department and Police Department are investigating this incident.
