A 2-year-old boy was killed and his mother was critically hurt after a fire tore through their Hudson Valley home on Friday morning and injured more than 20 people, police said.
The fire erupted at a home in Newburgh just before sunrise, according to police. Neighbors worked with firefighters as they tried to rescue people from the blaze.
By the time the flames were out, 16 people in the home — including the boy and his mother — had to be rushed to a hospital. The boy died and his mother was in critical condition on Friday afternoon.
Three police officers and three firefighters were also taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
At least one man had to be pulled from the flames. Neighbor Russell Crawford said he and some of the man’s children used a sledgehammer to free him from the home.
“He was halfway in and halfway out, and there was a tremendous amount of black smoke bellowing through the window,” Crawford said.
It’s unclear if the 16 people lived in the home or if there was some sort of gathering, possibly for Thanksgiving.
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Firefighters were investigating at the charred shell of the house Friday afternoon.
Winona Lake Fire Chief Tony Weed said the inferno was caused by an electrical fire that started in the living room and spread. The fire has not been deemed suspicious.
