A 2-alarm fire at a secluded house in Rhinebeck Sunday afternoon, Feb. 9, was put out in 15 minutes by firefighters who kept the flames confined to a garage. No one was hurt, but two vehicles in the garage sustained fire damage.
The cause was determined to be fireplace ashes that had been put in a plastic container and then placed in the garage, according to a Rhinebeck Fire Department news release.
The house, at 310 Enterprise Road, is occupied by Madhav and Rebecca Tadikonda and their two children; it was unclear whether they were home at the time.
The department was dispatched at 3:37pm, the report said, and the first arriving officer requested a second alarm due to the location of the house, which is down a long driveway, and the snow cover and limited water supply.
Arriving firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, containing it in the garage, which sustained fire, heat and smoke damage, as did a Mercedes SUV and John Deere quad.
The fire department reminded the public that fireplace ashes should be put in a metal container with a metal cover and then placed outside the house in an area free from combustible material or items. Ashes can continue to smolder for a day or two after being removed from the fireplace and so they can be a fire hazard when stored inside the home.
Assisting the Rhinebeck fire department at the scene were the Hillside, Red Hook, West Clinton, Milan and Ulster Hose #5 fire departments and the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office and state police. The Staatsburg and Tivoli fire departments relocated to the Rhinebeck fire station to cover any other calls.
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