Crime & Safety
Gerardine Place Home Heavily Damaged In Fire
Hillcrest and New City firefighters responded to Sunday night blaze at 38 Gerardine Place

Â
A fire in a storage area behind the garage caused significant fire and smoke damage at 38 Gerardine Place in New City on Sunday night. Hillcrest Fire Company #1 and the New City Fire Department’s FAST Team responded to the fire at 9:30 p.m.
Hillcrest Public Information Officer Chris Kear said the more than 50 firefighters at the scene got the blaze under control within 20 minutes. There no injuries and the residents of the house, a couple watching their young grandson, got out safely along with several dogs. Smoke detectors at the home activated.
Find out what's happening in New Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Kear said 45 Hillcrest firefighters under the direction of Chief Lloyd Hovelmann spent about two hours at the scene. Kear said when they arrived; heavy smoke was coming from the two-car garage of the bi-level house. He said the fire, which started in the storage area gutted it, damaged the garage and caused smoke damage in the upstairs living area. The fire was not believed to be suspicious.Â
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.