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The American Red Cross provided emergency shelter for the 15 people who escaped the fiery three-story apartment/retail building on 163 Lexington Ave. on the night of June 24. Volunteers from Bedford, Chappaqua and other Westchester towns provided immediate assistance following the fire, said Carolyn Sherwin, spokesperson for the American Red Cross.
"Everybody has found long-term housing through friends and family in the area," Sherwin said. "Everyone has been outreaching and a lot of our local residents have stepped up to help find them places to stay in Mount Kisco and Bedford Hills."
Sherwin later praised the volunteers, emergency management crews and the Village of Mount Kisco for working quickly to help the families and do the extra things needed after the fire.
"We were able to meet with all of the 15 residents that night with help from our emergency groups and village officials," Sherwin said, adding that a ladder truck stayed on scene to help residents get their clothes out of the burned building after the fire. "It was a really big thing to have such great emergency services crews and we're really grateful to them and the Village of Mount Kisco."
Roughly 80 firefighters from the Mount Kisco, Bedford Hills and Chappaqua fire departments, fought the fire and reserves from Millwood and Yorktown were on standby, Fire Chief Tom Jackson said previously.
"We've determined that it was caused by a lightning strike during the thunderstorms," Jackson said recently, adding that the old building did not have a lightning rod. "Thankfully no one was injured and everyone made it out safely."
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