Structure Fire - Marlyn Drive - Town of Wappinger - New Hackensack Fire District

Town of Wappinger, N.Y - At approximately 12:30 am on Saturday July 7th, 2007, the Dutchess County N.Y. 911 center began receiving simultaneous reports of a structure fire on Marlyn Drive in the Town of Wappinger. The New Hackensack Fire Department was dispatched along with Town of Wappinger Ambulance / Transcare for a confirmed structure fire at #4 Marlyn Drive. New Hackensack Asst. Chief Frank Paulo (52-3) arrived minutes later finding a 2-story raised ranch fully involved and already beginning to collapse. The only occupant of the residence, an 81 year old woman was alerted by a smoke detector and initially escaped the building. She then reportedly went back into the structure to remove her car from the garage parking the same 5 feet from the structure and left the garage door open. She then went back into the structure and was removed by a neighbor who had been awakened by popping noises and had gone over to the residence to investigate. Some time after this point, the fire was reported which gave it a significant head start and left firefighters with an impossible challenge. Asst Chief Rocco DiMase (52-2) assumed command and requested mutual-aid from the East Fishkill Fire Department with their F.A.S.T. team, the Hughsonville Fire Department with an engine,tanker, and manpower as well as the Chelsea and Glenham Fire Departments with tankers. A tanker shuttle was set up to supplement the poorly performing hydrants in the area. The New Hamburg and Rombout Fire Departments provided station coverage during the incident. In addition to the structure, the womans car was also destroyed by the fire which is not believed to be of suspicious origin and is being investigated by the Dutchess County Office of Emergency Response Cause and Origin Team and the Dutchess County Sheriffs Office.