Chester House Fire Kills One, Mother and Four Children Escape Electrical Blaze

A fast-moving electrical fire tore through a bi-level home on Tulip Lane in the Town of Chester early Sunday morning, killing one occupant and leaving a mother and her four children without a place to live.

The Chester Fire Department was dispatched around 8:15 a.m. on March 22 to a report of a house fire on Tulip Lane, with Town of Chester police officers also responding. The first arriving police officer reported the fire was already burning through the roof and that one occupant was unaccounted for. A resident had successfully evacuated with her four young children before firefighters reached the scene.

The first arriving firefighters quickly entered the house and located the missing occupant. The victim was removed from the home but was found to have succumbed to the fire. The victim's name had not yet been released as of Monday morning.

The Red Cross provided financial assistance to the residence, including the mother and her children, ages 4, 8, 9 and 12. Authorities did not say which occupant died. The single-family home was rendered uninhabitable by the blaze, which had already consumed the structure by the time crews arrived.

Multiple fire departments responded to help Chester firefighters, while EMS crews from Empress Ambulance and Warwick EMS provided medical support. Deputies from the Orange County Sheriff's Office were also at the scene.

Fire investigators from Orange County Fire Services and the Hudson Valley Arson and Explosives Task Force responded, along with an arson K-9. Orange County Deputy Sheriff King and Arson K-9 Nova were among those who assisted at the scene. Authorities determined the fire was caused by an electrical issue that started in the living room.

The identity of the person who died has not been released. The investigation remains ongoing.