Spring Valley Structure Fire Displaces 17 Residents

Spring Valley - About 60 firefighters responded Sunday morning to a fire on Sherman Street that displaced three families.

They found heavy flames spreading quickly up from the garage to both floors on the left side of the wood-sided building at 7 Sherman St. shortly before noon.

No one was reported injured. But three families, accounting for 17 people, including five children, were affected, Red Cross spokeswoman Carolyn Sherwin said.
The Red Cross provided emergency lodging to two of the displaced families while the other declined assistance.

Police blocked off streets around the scene while neighbors gathered outside despite temperatures close to 90 degrees. Sherman Street is in a diverse section of Spring Valley populated by Haitian, Hispanic and Filipino immigrants.

One resident, Jesus Gomez, 30, stood on the sidewalk and watched as firefighters turned hoses on the smoldering structure and tossed debris from a second-story window and onto the lawn.

The blaze destroyed the garage and caused extensive damage throughout the house, rendering it uninhabitable.

Gomez said he smelled smoke from his second-floor apartment and alerted others at home at the time. He said the apartment is not equipped with a fire alarm.

READ MORE: LoHud.com

{NewYorkBuffMedia Newsroom - Photos by: Moishe Lichtenstein}