On Saturday, April 21st at 6:35 PM, a neighbor on Windsor Road noticed a smoke alarm coming from a house across the street. When he went over to take a look, he noticed smoke coming from the unoccupied home. He then alerted another neighbor who - with fire extinguisher in hand - ran over to the smoke-filled home, discovering a fire in the kitchen. 911 calls were made, and Croton's Bravest were dispatched.

The two neighbors, Mr. Nick Kalyvas and Mr. Andy Shapely, went inside, rescued the dog from the house and extinguished the bulk of the flames before the arrival of Croton Fire units. Car 2083 (Asst. Chief Munson) was first-arriving in just over 3 minutes after dispatch, confirming "smoke showing."

Engine 118, Engine 119 and Tower Ladder 44 arrived at the same time just after the arrival of Car 2083. Personnel made their way inside with Thermal Imaging Cameras, hand tools and a water extinguisher, while other personnel stretched a 2" attack hose line to the front door and ground ladders were placed to access the roof and second floor. Right behind these first-in units were E120, T10, R18 & U14, along with the Ossining FD FASTeam and Millwood Tanker. A Tanker from Continental Village was also dispatched as part of our Automatic Aid plan but was cancelled en route.

Members soaked down some hot spots in the kitchen, checked for fire extension and ventilated the home of smoke and Carbon Monoxide. Command placed the incident under control some 20 minutes after arrival, and released the bulk of the apparatus on scene.

The Croton-on-Hudson Fire Department would like to commend Mr. Kalyvas and Mr. Shapely for their brave actions, which undoubtedly prevented a major fire, and could have led to a tragic loss of the family's dog and cat.

We take this opportunity to remind our followers of the importance of having working smoke alarms in your home.