A house fire on Feb. 16 tore through a two-story home in Mamaroneck, trapping a family inside before police and firefighters rescued them all alive, though several were hospitalized for smoke inhalation, according to a News 12 article.
Body-camera video shows first responders rushing to the burning Lester Avenue home just after 5 p.m., when flames were already consuming the back of the house and thick black smoke was rising above the property, visible as far away as Manhattan. Fire officials said the family inside was in “deep trouble.”
A cause has yet to be determined.
The blaze escalated to a second alarm, meaning the fire is serious enough that additional units and firefighters are called in beyond the initial response, drawing about 60 firefighters from multiple departments.
“It was engulfed, the whole back deck … it was going up the outside walls, and then I could see the flames inside both kitchen windows on the first floor and the second floor,” said neighbor Bill Sjostedt, who tried using a garden hose to help diffuse the flames.
As firefighters from the Village of Mamaroneck battled the fire, four village police officers climbed a ladder to reach a second-floor window where four people, including an infant, were trapped. All were brought out safely as smoke and flames surged through the home. Two others managed to escape from the first floor.
Five people were taken to nearby hospitals for smoke inhalation. No firefighters were injured.
“Oh my gosh, I was scared for the family. I saw the mom and one of the children hanging out of the window,” said next‑door neighbor Silvestre Arenas. “It was scary, especially when you saw the flames shooting up.”
Crews brought the fire under control in about 30 minutes. The cause remains under investigation, and the American Red Cross is assisting the displaced family.
