Crime & Safety
House Fire Caused by Overheating Vent Fan, Authorities Say
Investigators were able to trace the source of a Tuesday fire, while a utility team repaired a gas line that broken by a construction crew the same day.
A Terrace Avenue fire that displaced a family on Tuesday was ignited by an overheating fan, according to county fire investigators.
Port Chester firefighters were called to 150 Terrace Ave. at 9:30 a.m. Firefighters cleared several tenants out of the home before tackling an attic fire, said Lt. James Ladeairous of the Port Chester Police Department.
Investigators from the county's Cause and Origin Team traced the source of the fire to an attic fan that overheated. Investigators said a cardboard box was pushed up against the fan, and when the fan overheated, the flammable cardboard went up in flames, quickly spreading the fire.
Tenants who lived in the Terrace Avenue home were displaced, but made arrangements to stay with relatives, Ladeairous said. Authorities notified the building's owner, who is vacationing in Poland, Ladeairous said.
No one was injured in the blaze.
Gas line repaired after construction accident
Utility workers were able to repair a gas line that was ruptured during construction work on Tuesday.
The gas line was broken at 9:50 a.m. when a crew from KRL Construction of Ossining was rehauling a driveway at 76 Merritt Street, Lt. James Ladeairous said. Construction workers cleared the area and avoided injury -- and the possibility of an explosion -- after a piece of construction equipment ruptured a gas line to the nearby house as crews were tearing up the old driveway.
The broken line was fixed by a team from Con Edison. Police said it wasn't clear if the gas line had been properly marked on the pavement above.
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