OSSINING — A violent thunderstorm seemingly parked over Northern Westchester Friday, Aug. 7, forcing the cancelation of an annual parade tradition, sparking a large apartment fire in the process.
Instead of marching in their annual parade with neighboring departments, the Ossining Fire Department contended with a multi-alarm fire at the Parth Knolls complex on Hawkes Avenue.
At the same time the parade was supposed to begin, lightning from the storm struck the apartment building.
The resulting blaze ravaged the building, leaving many residents homeless. It was one of the largest mutual aid fire responses in Westchester County history with 26 departments responding.
What happened during the Parth Knolls fire?
According to Ossining Second Assistant Fire Chief Joseph Rinaldi, crews were dispatched to the scene at 87 Hawkes Ave., meeting heavy smoke and fire conditions "in the attic area of the building."
"Firefighters assisted all the residents out of the building as flames leaped from the roof," Rinaldi said. "Firefighters from departments in Rockland and Westchester were on standby in Ossining for the parade and responded quickly to the scene.
"We used tanker trucks, ponds and the building’s swimming pool just to get more water into the area” Rinaldi said.
At one point 4-ladder trucks were on scene, attempting to quell the blaze. Well over a hundred firefighters from Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties battled the fire during a steady downpour at first, followed by hot and humid conditions.
According to Rinaldi, there were no injuries. The Westchester County Cause and Origin Team was called in to determine the exact cause which according to Rinaldi was a lightning strike on the roof.
On Saturday morning, some of the displaced residents returned to survey the damage and see what could be salvaged from any of the 24-units in the buildings as workers began to board it up.
(This story may update.)
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Ossining fire 1 of 'largest mutual aid responses' in county history
