Fire heavily damages house in Bloomington

“There was fire damage to the bedroom, stairway and part of the attic above the bedroom, and there was smoke and water damage to probably 90 percent of the building.” — Bloomington Fire Chief Joe Hafner Jr.

BLOOMINGTON, N.Y. » A house was heavily damaged by a fire Saturday afternoon, Jan. 2, according to the Bloomington Fire Department.

Firefighters out of the Binnewater Station responded to the blaze, which went to two alarms, at 71 Old County Road 1 at 1:26 p.m., the department said. Bloomington Fire Chief Joe Hafner Jr. said the fire in the 2 ½-story wood-frame house started in an upstairs bedroom.

According to Hafner, a second alarm was quickly called, bringing the Tillson, Rosendale, Stone Ridge and Cottekill fire departments to the scene. Also called was the Kingston FASTeam for fire suppression and an additional request for the Ulster Hose FASTeam.

There were no injuries. Hafner said there was one occupant, a man, in the house at the time. The Hudson Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross said in a press release that volunteers provided immediate emergency aid to two people after the fire.

“He was inside at the time the fire broke out,” Hafner said. “He stated that there was a portable propane space heater that he had in the bedroom. He left it unattended for a couple of minutes to make himself something to eat. When he came back upstairs to the bedroom, there were flames around the bottom of the space heater.”

Hafner said the Ulster County Cause and Origin Team determined that the fire was accidental.

“There was fire damage to the bedroom, stairway and part of the attic above the bedroom,” he said, “and there was smoke and water damage to probably 90 percent of the building. The Town of Rosendale Building and Codes Enforcement investigator came and he condemned the building until repairs can be done.”

The Rosendale Police Department also assisted at the scene.