Red Cross Assists Over 120 Residents Displaced by Mount Vernon Fire Before Thanksgiving

Mount Vernon Fire Impact

• 🏠 A significant fire occurred in Mount Vernon, impacting over 120 residents just days before Thanksgiving.
• 🚒 The fire started in a kitchen on the seventh floor of an old pre-war building on Cottage Avenue.
• ⚠️ Firefighters faced challenges due to the building's age, lack of standpipes, and flames spreading within the loft space between the ceiling and roof.

Response and Displacement

• 🤝 The Red Cross is providing assistance to the affected residents.
• 🏫 A temporary shelter has been established at a nearby elementary school for those displaced by the fire.
• 💧 Neighbors in adjacent buildings reported issues such as a loss of water supply due to the firefighting efforts.

Firefighting Efforts

• 🚒 Fire departments from Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, and the FDNY responded to the scene.
• 🪜 The absence of standpipes required firefighters to extend hoses throughout the building, complicating the response.
• 💨 Smoke was visible from blocks away, and the building sustained visible damage including charred walls and broken windows.

Resident Well-being

• ⚠️ Although no major injuries were reported, some residents were taken to a hospital for precautionary checks after being evacuated.
• 🏠 Residents are awaiting information on when they will be able to return to their homes.