Update: The fire has been ruled out accidental and caused due to a furnace malfunction.
Original story: A fire destroyed a rabbi's summer home at the Kehilath Yakov Rabbinical Seminary campus at 340 Illington Road in Yorktown this morning.
The fire, which was reported at 7:15 a.m. started in the rear boiler room of the house, Yorktown Heights Fire Chief Chet Swirski said. When firefighters got to the scene there was heavy smoke and fire coming out of the back of house. The fire started on the first floor, went up the second floor and out of the roof.
"At this point it does [appear suspicious], but haven't done the investigation," Swirski told Patch.
The Westchester County Cause and Origin team is on the scene investigating the cause of the fire.
Firefighters from several departments fought the blaze, which took two hours to get under control since there were no fire hydrants on the property.
No one was in the burning building when firefighters got to the scene.
No one was injured.
However, two firefighters fell while fighting the fire – one slipped outside the building and another fell through the stairs inside – but they were treated on the scene.
A member of the seminary told Patch there were more than 100 people on the campus when the fire started. The home, which is now destroyed, belongs to the rabbi who lives in Brooklyn.
Firefighters from Yorktown, Croton, Millwood, Katonah, Pleasantville, Somers and Ossining helped extinguish the blaze.
Check back with Patch for more details.
