Crime & Safety

Unattended Candle Blamed for New Year's Eve House Fire

No one was home when smoke was seen coming out of a Pleasantville residence.

Update, Sunday 1:16 a.m.

A candle left unattended in a bedroom was deemed the cause of a house fire in Pleasantville in the last hour of 2011.

According to Mount Pleasant Police, the department was notified of the fire at 52 Booth St. at 11:25 p.m. on Saturday when a Booth Street resident called 911 to report seeing smoke coming from his neighbor's home.

Find out what's happening in Pleasantville-Briarcliff Manorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The residence was vacant at the time, according to Thornwood Fire Department Assistant Chief Herb Doerr.

In addition to Thornwood, Doerr said , and Valhalla fire departments supplied aid at the fire which took "less than 10 minutes" to put out.

Find out what's happening in Pleasantville-Briarcliff Manorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The fire was contained to the first-floor bedroom where it started in the multi-family home.

The candle had been left unattended in the room for at least two hours, said Doerr.

According to the Mount Pleasant Police report, patrol officers confirmed the fire at 11:31 p.m. and requested backup two minutes later to close off Booth Street at the Marble Avenue intersection.

Doerr said residents were notified by phone of the fire. Some stood outside as investigators checked the home for hazards. They will not be able to stay there tonight, though were allowed to enter in order to gather personal belongings early Sunday morning.

The also responded to the scene, though no injuries were reported.

The Building Department will assess the scene in the coming days.

___

Original Story:

A residential fire was reported at 11:25 p.m. Saturday in Pleasantville, Mount Pleasant Police reported.

Westchester County Fire Control sent out a call for aid at the fire, reported on Booth Street off of Marble Avenue.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.