Residents evacuated after Main Street furnace fire

MILLERTON — As many as 18 people, including four children, were displaced early Saturday morning after a basement furnace fire sent carbon monoxide and smoke through an apartment building at 7–9 Main Street just before 4:45 a.m.

Emergency and fire crews from Millerton, Amenia and Lakeville, Connecticut, responded to the scene and evacuated residents from the building, located between the Harney Tea Room and the Mercantile Photo Gallery. Firefighters extinguished the blaze and ventilated the building. No injuries were reported.

Millerton Fire Chief Keith Roger said the fire was contained to the furnace before crews were able to extinguish it. The fire caused high amounts of carbon monoxide to spread through the building, he said.

Roger said he observed the basement filling with smoke after forcing entry. Following the evacuation, crews worked to ventilate the building.

“Everyone worked great together,” Roger said, adding that he is proud of his department and grateful for the support from surrounding communities.

The Town of North East Medic 1 and Northern Dutchess Paramedics also responded to the scene to provide any necessary emergency medical services.

The American Red Cross also responded later in the day and is supporting two of the families with temporary housing and additional assistance.

The building did not sustain structural damage, though it is unlikely residents will be able to return in the near future. Mayor Jenn Najdek said the village’s code enforcement officer is in contact with the building’s owner, but there is no timeline for reentry.

“I want to acknowledge the Millerton Fire Department for opening up the doors all day for the displaced residents, and all of the volunteers involved,” Najdek said.

Assisted by the Millerton Fire Department, residents were allowed to enter the building for five minutes at a time to retrieve essential items, a measure intended to prevent additional exposure. Roger said that while the building is currently uninhabitable, residents will be permitted to return to retrieve belongings as conditions allow.

Roger said he was relieved that no one was seriously injured but expressed concern for the families who were forced to leave their homes.

“It’s unfortunate with some of these types of buildings that don’t get the proper attention they need,” he said.

Community jumps in to help

A community-wide effort to support the displaced families began Saturday morning, bringing together the fire department, village and town officials, staff from the NorthEast-Millerton Library and the North East Community Center (NECC), among others.

Village Deputy Mayor Matt Hartzog said he arrived on the scene at about 10 a.m. to provide hands-on assistance. Along with the Red Cross and NECC, he helped supply families with essential items, including blankets, towels, toothbrushes, and a debit card loaded with funds for basic necessities.

“This is really an example of the community coming together,” Hartzog said. He added that community members who wish to help can donate to NECC, which provides critical resources to local families and residents.

Town Councilman Chris Mayville spent most of the day Saturday working alongside the fire department and elected officials to support the displaced residents.

"You appreciate living in communities like ours in times like these when you really see people coming together," Mayville said. “No matter what role people were in, it was comforting to see everyone come together to help.”

Mayville said he was particularly grateful for the Millerton Fire Department, which received four additional calls on Saturday. “They would respond to another call and come back and pick right back up where they left off.”

Two displaced residents required accessible transportation assistance that could accommodate a wheelchair. Library Director Rhiannon Leo-Jameson and Town Councilwoman Meg Winkler worked to identify possible options and made calls for help.

"It is heartening that our community can just react on a moment's notice and work together to try to resolve obstacles," Winkler said.

Leo-Jameson agreed.

“Millerton has always been a community that steps up,” she said. “It’s heartwarming to see public officials coming together to help.”