SPRING VALLEY, New York, U.S. (AP) – A fire at a nursing home in a suburb of New York City early Tuesday morning left one resident dead and several injured, including two firefighters, authorities said. A third firefighter was missing.
The flames consumed the Evergreen Court Home for Adults in the Rockland County town of Spring Valley, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of New York City. There live between 100 and 125 elderly people.
One of the residents died after being taken to the hospital, Rockland County Fire Marshal Chris Kear said. The identity was not immediately released.
“This is a devastating loss,” Kear told reporters.
Rescuers were rummaging through the rubble, looking for a firefighter who called for help when he reached the third floor to rescue one of the residents, Kear said. His colleagues tried to reach him, but were prevented by the flames.
“The intensity and volume of the flames, the conditions in general, were too inhospitable and the firefighters couldn’t find their partner and had to back off,” Kear said.
Two other firefighters were taken to the hospital. One was discharged and another will have to spend the night due to smoke inhalation, Kear said.
Authorities estimate that about 20 residents of the home were taken to hospitals, some seriously injured, Kear said. Other locals were taken by bus to another facility.
Some 125 firefighters from different bodies came to the scene and tried to douse the flames. Experts are trying to find out the cause of the fire.
Video footage shows how the second floor of the building collapsed amid the flames. Kear said an entire section of the building was burned to the ground.
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