11 Left Homeless By Fire, Code Violations Likely

Two families and a couple were set up with emergency shelter by the Red Cross after an Olivia Street home caught fire Thursday night.

In all, 11 people were displaced, including a family of two adults and three young children, said Carolyn Sherwin, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross of Greater New York.

The fire started when a worker tried to solder old pipes in the home's basement by using an open flame. The fire spread up through a wall toward the first floor of the building, but a quick response by the Port Chester Fire Department kept the flames from spreading to the rest of the structure.

Some 40 firefighters rushed to the home at 259 Olivia St., bringing the blaze under control within 10 minutes. Mayor Dennis Pilla credited firefighters for preventing a potentially catastrophic situation.

"Our fire department arrived quickly enough to prevent a really bad fire," Pilla wrote in an e-mail a few hours after the fire.

Code enforcement inspectors were called to the home almost immediately and were conducting a preliminary investigation Thursday night. Although it was early in the investigation, Pilla said Con Edison shut power down to the home due to concerns over safety conditions.

Sherwin said the families were allowed back inside temporarily to collect belongings before heading to an emergency shelter. Red Cross staff will assist the families in the interim and help them find permanent lodging if they're not able to return to their apartments.

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