Woman Found Dead in Bed After Raging Westchester Fire: Family

Family members said that a raging fire at a Westchester home claimed the life of a woman on Sunday night and left two others injured as firefighters scrambled to control the flames.

The fast-moving fire began at about 11:30 p.m. at a home on Hamilton Avenue in New Rochelle. A police officer who was on his way to work noticed the flames and called the fire department, according to a woman who says the house has been in her family for 48 years. 

Four people are believed to have lived in the home. Two of them had to jump to safety. Another person wasn't home at the time. But a third person, the woman who later died, called out sick from work. Her car was still in the driveway as the house burned. 

A relative said that firefighters told the family that the woman's body was found in her bed after crews doused the flames.

A woman was seen crying as she watched the home burn. A man was comforting her. 

Nearby, firefighters were wearing oxygen masks as smoked hovered in the air above the flashing red lights of ambulances and fire trucks. Other firefighters, sweaty and exhausted, were resting on the ground and in ambulances. 

Two people were injured in the fire, according to police. It’s unclear if they are firefighters or residents of the home. They were taken to Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital. Their conditions weren’t immediately known. 

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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