Croton's Bravest were dispatched to the 100-Block of North Riverside Avenue on Tuesday afternoon around 12:12 PM for a reported house fire.

Car 2084 (Deputy Chief Gerry Munson) called responding one minute later, with an update from 60 Control stating the caller reported a fire on the exterior wall of her house. He arrived first less than three minutes after dispatch, with Engine 119 seconds behind him, and established Command.

According to witnesses and Croton Police, a flower pot on the sidewalk next to the side staircase of the house was on fire, and extinguished prior to our arrival. The fire caused scorching and heat damage to the home's vinyl siding. With the fire out already and with ample personnel with E119, Command returned the other responding units and held E119.

The crew of E119 pulled some siding off the house and soaked it down with water to dissipate some heat, while additional personnel checked the interior of the house for fire extension using a Thermal Imager.

With the small fire out and no extension inside the house, all units returned to service 15 minutes later.

We would like to remind our viewers that if you smoke cigars or cigarettes, please ensure they are fully extinguished before you discard them - and take care as to where you discard of them.