Irvington Firefighters battle heavy fire conditions

Irvington firefighters were confronted with a challenging, fully-involved structure fire Monday night. Multiple calls were received by police for a working fire in an unoccupied 2-story home at 4 Mountain Road. Upon arrival, the fire had already vented itself and flames were rising well above the roof-line. To add to the challenges, the first-due crews were confronted by energized wires on the ground and limited building access. Chief Natkin immediately called in a working fire and mutual aid units from Dobbs Ferry, Elmsford, and Tarrytown were dispatched. Upon arrival, Assistant Chief Ruffler confirmed that the house was unoccupied and a defensive operation was initiated. Ladder 36 set-up in front of the building, pulled handlines and hit the main body of fire with its ladder pipe. Engine 178 connected to a hydrant and supplied water to its own handlines and the ladder. An engine was requested from Hastings to stand-by at Irvington's firehouse for the duration of the operation. Assistant Chief Mastropietro coordinated water supply early in the operation, eventually turning over that assignment to 2461, while Assistant Chief Ruffler commanded operations at the front of the structure. Mutual aid chiefs provided greatly appreciated assistance, with 2091 assisting with accountability, 2092 on operations at the command post, 2093 with staging, and 2113 with the FAST unit (Elmsford L-55). Both the Irvington and Greenburgh water systems were used during fire suppression operations. Westchester County C&O Team has determined that the fire was accidental in nature.