Mt. Vernon fire destroys home, spreads to neighbor

Construction crews working on a home on Union Avenue heard an explosion immediately before a ferocious fire broke out that decimated the house and severely damaged another home, officials said.

"It was an old house — they had workers there basically rehabbing," Mount Vernon Fire Capt. Al-Farid Salahuddin said. "They heard an explosion of some sort. Right after that (the house) was fully engulfed in flames."

Fire crews were dispatched to the area of 359 Union Ave. at 11:40 a.m. where they were able to contain the fire, but not before it completely destroyed the house and spread to a neighboring home. Except for the construction workers, no one was inside either home at the time the fire broke out, Salahuddin said.

A woman who lived in the neighboring home was at work at the time, he said. Neighbors called her to let her know what had happened, Salahuddin said. She had been planning to move out and had much of her belongings in boxes, many of which were damaged in the fire, he said.

No major injuries were reported though some responding firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion, smoke inhalation and other minor injuries, Salahuddin said.

The cause of the fire is undetermined at the moment, he said. Investigators are expected to begin examining the rubble for signs of possible arson or another cause on Thursday, Salahuddin said.