Small Porch Fire Extinguished in Dobbs Ferry

An alert neighbor helped keep a small fire under control on the back porch of a Mohegan Park Drive home.

Ellen Crane said she smelled smoke around 10 a.m. 

The wind was blowing away from her house, so at first she didn't realize the fire was so close—but she looked and saw a fire on her next-door neighbor's back porch.

She called 911 and then with another neighbor got out her garden hose, and he started spraying the flames, which had grown pretty high, "a few feet beyond the level of the porch," Crane said. 

The Dobbs Ferry Fire Department was there "within two minutes," she said. 

Fire Chief Jim Trezza said the source of the blaze is under investigation by the cause and origin team. It only took  five to 10 minutes–"if even that"—to put it out. The fire did not extend into the white, two-story house or cause any smoke damage inside. 

Grabbing the garden hose before the firefighters arrive is a good idea in certain circumstances, he said. 

"Yes, if the fire is outside, you can try to put it out," Trezza said. "If it's inside, just get out."