3-Alarm Fire Consumes New Rochelle House Overnight

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Freezing temperatures made battling a stubborn house fire especially challenging for New Rochelle firefighters in the early morning hours on Wednesday.

The three-alarm blaze on Mountain Avenue was first reported just after 1 a.m. this morning and took nearly three hours to fully extinguish, according to witnesses. Neighbors also said that the home was "seriously damaged" in a previous fire in 2008.

Both occupants of the house managed to escape the blaze. Despite the adverse conditions, no serious injuries have been reported.

"Our guys toughed it out," New Rochelle Fire Chief Andy Sandor told News 12 Westchester's Lisa Larocca. "This isn't their first rodeo. They know how to handle these cold conditions. It just makes it a little tougher."

The chief added that there were no indications so far that the fire was suspicious.

Westchester County arson dogs Acorn and Daisy were brought to the scene, according to Kempter's Fire Wire's Dave Kempter.

Fire investigators could be seen examining the site of the overnight fire into the afternoon on Wednesday.