Pre-dawn blaze brings P.C. Fire Dept. to vacant buildings on Broad Street

December 5, 2024 at 1:58 a.m.

A Rye Brook Fire Department ladder truck battles a blaze at the rear of 38 Broad St. on Tuesday, Dec. 3. The Port Chester Fire Department called in support from other units for the 2-alarm fire shortly before 5 a.m. (Courtesy photo of Port Chester Fire Department Facebook Page)

An early morning fire engulfing two vacant buildings on Broad Street saw a quick response from the Port Chester Fire Department on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

The fire started at 36 Broad St., though it quickly spread to the structure next door. Both are owned by The Renatus Group, LLC.

“We got a call in at about 4:40 a.m. and had our rigs on scene in about a minute because the guys were so close,” Fire Chief Angelo Sposta said.

He said the bulk of the flames was concentrated at the rear of 38 Broad St., the property that formerly housed the Westmore News for over 46 years.

“The whole back of the old Westmore completely collapsed,” Sposta said. “The large volume of the fire just burned through the floor and roof joints.”

    The front of 38 Broad St. on Tuesday, Dec. 3, a few hours after firefighters cleared all buildings on the street of flames.
 By David Tapia   

Out of caution, the chief declared it a two-alarm fire, calling in support from surrounding departments including Rye Brook, Purchase, Harrison, Greenwich and Tarrytown.

“Things can get complicated when abandoned buildings are so close together,” Sposta said. “There’s always a threat that the fire will spread to the rest of them. There was a lot of debris in the backyard that was catching fire, even the lawn itself. With all of that considered, I called in for more manpower.”

By going at the flames from numerous angles, the firefighters were able to gain control of the situation within an hour. However, several roads in Port Chester were shut down until 8 a.m.

“We had to close down part of Broad, Irving and Pearl for about four hours,” Sposta said. “We had to be sure everything was clear and cleaned up. We were chasing hot spots and little pockets of fires in the collapsed area. DPW actually had to continuously salt the street because we used so much water. If they hadn’t, it would have become icy.”

According to the chief, the Westchester County Cause and Origin Team was unable to determine what started the blaze, but the belief is that it was manmade.

“We’re pretty sure it was started by squatters, but this kind of situation makes it hard to pinpoint,” he said.

He added that there were no injuries during the incident.

“When we first arrived, we went through the front door and did a quick search. It’s an empty building, but there’s always a fear of squatters,” Sposta said. “That’s always our first priority. And no one from the department was hurt, so it was a win-win scenario for us.”