Powerful Fire Destroys Two Buildings at Ulster County Apartment Complex

A two-alarm fire destroyed two apartment buildings at the Lakeshore Preserve Apartments in Port Ewen, New York.

Fire at Apartment Complex in Port Ewen, NY

According to the Port Ewen Fire Department (PEFD), it all started just after 6 p.m. on Friday, July 25th, when a massive fire broke out at the Lakeshore Preserve Apartments off of Route 9W in Port Ewen, NY.

At 6:16 p.m., members of the PEFD were dispatched to the apartment complex for a fire with possible entrapments, according to the Port Ewen Fire Department. Within minutes, the first unit arrived on scene and was met with two of the apartment buildings "well involved" and a third building in danger of catching fire (pictures below).

Second Alarm Activated at Port Ewen Fire

Shortly after arrival, a second alarm was activated, calling for surrounding departments to respond to assist in fighting the large fire. Members and equipment from numerous departments quickly rushed to the scene to help, including the Esopus Fire Department, Esopus Ambulance, and the City of Kingston.

Ulster Hose Company #5 dispatched its "Fast Team" to assist and was quickly brought into fighting the fire.

Fire Contained

Due to the quick work of all involved, they were able to contain the fire from spreading to any of the other nearby buildings. PEFD stated on Facebook, "Great cooperation between all agencies operating kept this incident from becoming much worse."

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The Daily Freeman reported that one resident at the complex was hospitalized and 13 others were hurt. Sadly, one dog did die in the fire. One cat was reportedly rescued. PEFD reported that crews worked at the scene for approximately 5 hours.

At this time, it's unclear what started the fire, but officials did say that an investigation is underway. When more information is available, we will update this article.