Shane, in the blue shirt, and Sean Burlingame, in the grey, entering Khazad Dum to avenge the death of Balin son of Fundin Lord of Moria. May the Balrog and minions of Sauron beware. lol. No it's the Ice Caves at Sam's Point.
WAPPINGER, Dutchess County (WABC) --
The flames broke out just before 5:30 a.m. at the home on 26 Relyea Terrace in Wappinger.
First responders were told a child may still be inside, and state troopers made entry without protective fire gear but were unable to locate the child due to extensive fire and smoke.
Fire personnel in fire gear made re-entry from a ladder extended to a bedroom window, and an assistant fire chief was able to crawl along the floor and locate the unconscious child and remove him from the house through the window.
The child, identified as Sean Burlingame, was transported to Vassar Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The other five occupants of the home were able to safely escape.
One of the police officers who made entry to the house was transported to Vassar Hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this time and remains under investigation.
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Emergency responders rushed to the scene of the fire in Dutchess County at 26 Relyea Terrace in the town of Wappinger at around 5:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 31.
WAPPINGER, NY -
When state police arrived at the home engulfed in flames, they heard chilling news.
A child might be inside.
Troopers tried to get in the house after arriving at 5:22 a.m. Friday, but didn't have protective gear to deal with the "extensive fire and smoke," according to a police statement.
“It seemed impossible to get in there with all the smoke, but police were really trying,” said Dan Tierney, who lives across the street from the Relyea Terrace home.
Tierney said the fire started out very smoky before the flames rose.
New Hackensack firefighters entered the house via ladder through a bedroom window. A Fishkill village firefighter was able to crawl along the floor and find 7-year-old Sean Burlingame. The firefighter took the unconscious child from the house through a window, police said.
Sean was taken to Vassar Brothers Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said. Five other occupants escaped the building prior to emergency responders arriving.
“The mother was really distraught,” Tierney said. “The ambulance workers were trying to help her as best they could.”
A trooper was also taken to Vassar Brothers for treatment of smoke inhalation, according to police.
Call for help
Neighbor Rene Mischel heard someone banging on the side of her house around 5:10 a.m.
“I thought it was my husband, since he just left for work,” she said. “But it was someone from next door calling for help.”
Mischel, who lives across the street from the house that caught fire, said she called 911 at 5:14 a.m.
“After I called, I went to see if I could help at all,” she said.
“I saw the fire from the back, but it’s hard to see through all the trees,” she said. “But then the flames engulfed the one side of it. I just don’t understand how this happened.”
A 7-year-old boy died in a fire that ravaged this Wappinger home early Friday. (Photo: Patrick Oehler/Poughkeepsie Journal)The cause of the fire is under investigation by state and Dutchess County fire investigators, along with state police.
'Breaks my heart'
On Friday evening, workers continued to board up windows of the house and holes created by the fire.
Janice Bocchino, who lives three houses down from the property, said she didn’t hear the fire but found out about it later in the morning.
Bocchino said the neighborhood is close knit and the fire was a tragedy.
“It shows you just how fast you can lose everything,” she said. “Breaks my heart.”