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Fire destroys several units at Mountainview Condominiums in Valley Cottage By CHRISTINA JENG THE JOURNAL NEWS Related Media (Original publication: October 14, 2006) VALLEY COTTAGE - A raging fire destroyed 12 units and damaged several more at the Mountainview Condominiums yesterday, spewing black clouds of smoke into the sky that could be seen for miles. More than 75 firefighters from seven departments sprayed streams of water onto the two-story brick and wood building. "This was pretty big," Valley Cottage Fire Chief Stephen Ungerleider said yesterday. "A third of the building is uninhabitable." The cause of the blaze was still under investigation, though Ungerleider said he was told it started on the building's exterior. Rockland County Fire Coordinator Gordon Wren Jr. said investigators are looking into the possibility that an outdoor grill could have caused the fire. Each unit has an exterior wooden deck, but grills are not allowed in or outside the units. Rockland Deputy Fire Coordinator John Kryger said flames heavily damaged units 169 to 176 and 177 to 180 on Sierra Vista Lane. Units 161 to 169 were damaged by smoke and water. Two people were injured and taken to Nyack Hospital for treatment, Ungerleider said. One was a Clarkstown police officer who possibly suffered smoke inhalation and the other was a resident who tripped over a fire hose and fell. Jennifer Coggins, 26, said she was asleep when she heard sounds that resembled a hailstorm. She looked out of her apartment at 177 Sierra Vista Lane and saw roof shingles falling to the ground. She called 911, went outside to see what was going on and watched as the flames engulfed her apartment as well. "I couldn't believe my eyes," she said. "I ran back in to get my two cats. I got one and then they told me I had to go." Patricia McMahon, 55, whose home also was affected, said she was disappointed at the length of time it seemed to take firefighters to get water on the flames. "They couldn't get water running into the back of the building, where the bulk of the fire was," she said. Clarkstown Fire Inspector Vincent Narciso said onlookers often misjudge time during emergencies. "To a spectator it seems like it takes a long time, but in reality, it's not," he said. Firefighters from Valley Cottage, Central Nyack, West Nyack, Congers, Nanuet, Nyack and Haverstraw assisted at the scene. Kryger said a masonry firewall did its job, keeping the flames from reaching the units that were damaged by smoke and water. The fire was called in at 2:42 p.m. and was under control about 90 minutes later, Kryger said. Firefighters cleared the scene about 8 p.m., Ungerleider said. Residents of the damaged units could be allowed back in by tomorrow or Tuesday, he said, once the gas and electricity are restored. The Red Cross was called in to assist the families displaced by the fire.
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Photos by Tom Bierds |
