Police Probe Fatal Yonkers Fire

A fatal fire before dawn Monday in Yonkers looks to have been set deliberately, police said.

At 3:48 a.m. Monday, members of the Yonkers Police and Fire Departments were called to 144 Waverly St. First responders located smoke and fire inside the first-floor apartment of the two-story structure. Firefighters brought the fire under control and cleared the building.

Several people were injured as a result of the fire, including one fatality and one victim presently in critical condition.

Preliminary investigation has yielded evidence that an accelerant may have been used to start the fire. Investigators are actively working to determine the sequence of events and are examining every possibility, including the likely potential that this incident was domestic in nature, police said.

The first-floor apartment was occupied by eight persons, seven members of the same family and one guest, police said. The oldest member of the family, 75-year-old Victorino Martinez, perished; a 49-year-old female victim, the spouse of Martinez, suffered severe burns to over 75 percent of her body and is currently in critical condition at a local trauma center; their three adult children suffered serious non-life-threatening injuries, and two young children were being treated for shock and smoke inhalation. No other injuries were reported.

Detectives from the Major Case Squad, Crime Scene Unit, and Yonkers Police and Fire Department Arson Investigators responded to the scene, interviewing subjects and witnesses, recovering surveillance video, and processing forensic and trace evidence.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Yonkers Police Detective Division at (914) 377-7724 – all calls will remain confidential. Anonymous tips can be sent by texting the key word YPD plus the tip to 847411. Anonymous tips can also be sent to us directly through the Yonkers PD Tips app which can be downloaded for free to any Apple or Android device.