Five firefighters were injured as a staircase collapsed and flames ripped through a White Plains home early Wednesday.
A family escaped their home on Milford Drive before a fire left the two-story house significantly damaged around 4 a.m., White Plains Fire Chief Richard Lyman said. The family had recently upgraded their fire alarm system, which alerted a dispatcher to the fire at 3:47 a.m., he said.
The family safely fled the home before firefighters arrived. About 20 firefighters responded to the blaze, which started in the basement and made its way to the first and second floors, Lyman said.
“The company did a great job of knocking it down on the first story,” he said.
Firefighters made their way to the basement stairway in the back of the house, and one firefighter was injured as the stairs collapsed, Lyman said. That firefighter was helped out of the debris, and the blaze was under control in about 30 minutes, he said.
“They did a fantastic job,” Lyman said. “I’m very proud of the guys.”
Five firefighters ended up being treated at White Plains Hospital for various injuries, including burns, smoke inhalation, and shoulder, neck and back pain, Lyman said.
The house had significant smoke and fire damage, he said.
“It’s going to need quite a bit of renovation. It’s going to need quite a bit of work,” he said.
Lyman said the fire is under investigation, so he could not comment yet on whether it is suspicious or what may have caused it.
“We don’t rule anything out,” he said.