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Garrison Volunteer Fire Co. Responds to House Fire on Travis Corners Road
The Garrison Volunteer Fire Co. Inc. responded to a home on Travis Corners Rd., near Fort Defiance Hill to extinguish a fire that had started in a closet adjacent to a wood-burning fireplace. The homeowner discovered smoke and called the Putnam 911 Emergency Dispatch Center. The alarm was relayed to the Garrison Volunteer Fire Company, which responded moments later with their newly purchased Pumper Truck, their Water Tanker and additional personnel.
Arriving at the scene, Company Chief Kyle Irish could see billows of smoke pouring from open doors and windows. As the fire was being located inside the house, an attack team was stretching a 2-inch diameter hose from the Pumper Truck through the front door, down a hallway to the source of the fire. The interior Firefighters had to use their SCBA respirators to avoid inhaling potentially toxic fumes. The fire had been smoldering inside the closet where combustible materials had been stored next to an exposed stove pipe. As the heat built up, the closet and contents became fully engulfed in flames.
The fire took approximately two hours to subdue and overhaul, but the crews were able to save the home with damage limited to the closet, a bedroom and an adjacent stairwell. Mutual Aid vehicles and crews arrived from Cold Spring, Continental Village, and North Highlands. Neighboring Putnam Valley Fire Department stood by to cover the rest of the Garrison Fire District during the incident.
Because of the many manmade substances used in the construction of modern homes and their contents, Chief Irish cautions homeowners never to risk inhaling the airborne toxins released during fire emergencies. Should you become aware of smoke or fumes inside your home from an unknown source, call 911. Crawl or crouch to avoid inhaling the contaminants as you exit and never re-enter a burning building until advised by the Fire Officer in Charge at the scene that it is safe to do so.
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