A fire tore through an apartment building on White Birch Lane in Mount Tremper early Friday, killing one person and sending another to the hospital with smoke inhalation. New York State Police responded to the reported structure fire at approximately 5:23 a.m., and the person who died has not been publicly identified.
The blaze struck White Birch Apartments at 4 White Birch Lane in the town of Woodstock, according to New York State Police. The complex is a 15-unit apartment building, as reported by the Daily Freeman. Firefighters found one person dead inside the residence, state police said, while another occupant was taken to Health Alliance Hospital in Kingston for treatment of smoke inhalation, according to the paper's sister outlet, Daily Voice.
Firefighters Searched Through Debris After Flames Subsided
The Daily Freeman's report notes that crews found the body of the person who died while working through fallen debris after the fire was brought under control. Firefighters were also able to locate three other people they believed to be inside the building, the outlet reported. The blaze was concentrated in the center structure of the complex's three buildings, per the same account.
Roughly 50 firefighters were on scene after a second alarm was called, according to an estimate from Woodstock Fire District Company No. 1 member Philippe Hyman, cited by the Daily Freeman. Responding agencies included the Woodstock Fire Department, Olive Fire Department, Phoenicia Fire District, and Ulster Hose Company, alongside the Hudson Valley chapter of the American Red Cross, which also assisted afterward.
Displacement Numbers Vary, Cause Still Unknown
Accounts differ on how many residents were displaced by the fire. News10 reported that five people were displaced, while the Daily Freeman's headline put the number at four; the Daily Freeman separately reported that the Red Cross provided emergency aid to five people from four households affected by the fire.
The person who died had not been identified as of Oct. 17, and state police have not confirmed the victim's identity. The fire's cause remains under investigation by New York State Police and the Ulster County Fire Investigation Unit, authorities said.
