Firefighters fought a blaze that seriously damaged a single-family residence and displaced three residents in Mohegan Lake this afternoon.
Flames were shooting through the roof of 1646 Wenonah Trail, accompanied by heavy smoke, when firefighters got to the scene. A woman, who was home at the time and was sitting in front of her computer, reported the fire at about 1:16 p.m. when she saw the back wall of her home on fire.
The fire then went up the wall, by the windows on the outside of the house, she told firefighters. The woman got her elderly mother out of the house and called her husband, who was not home at the time.
The fire has been ruled out accidental and electrical in nature. It started in the basement kitchen due to faulty wiring going to a switch, Lake Mohegan Fire Chief Brian Wolert said. It quickly spread to the back of the house and up to the second floor.
The home suffered extensive smoke and water damage, Wolert said. The house is uninhabitable, but not a total damage.
No one was injured.
After the blaze was knocked down, firefighters rescued a domestic cat, which was hiding in a corner. The cat was unharmed and given back to its owners, who are staying at the neighboring home of a family member.
Wolert said there weren't any difficulties in fighting the fire, but because the house is old and has a tongue-and-groove roof, it made it harder for them to break through.
Assisting with the fire were members of the Yorktown Heights, Peekskill and Buchanan fire departments. The Westchester County Cause and Origin Team, Yorktown Police Department officers and Lake Mohegan Volunteer Ambulance Corps were also on scene. Approximately 35 firefighters helped put down the blaze.
One of the neighbors who stood nearby said he was surprised to see his neighbors' home on fire. Another neighbor Liz Sirico said she saw the fire shooting through the roof and could smell the smoke.
"It started out little and it got bigger," she said.
Editor's Note: The article has been updated since its original publication as more information became available.
