A fire that destroyed a multi-unit building on Tinker Street in Woodstock, but caused no injuries or fatalities, remains under investigation by Ulster County fire officials and state police.
The fire broke out at 117 Tinker St., with the first call coming in to the Woodstock Fire Department at 9:44 p.m. Saturday. It was reported as a “fully involved structure fire,” said Woodstock Fire Department First Assistant Chief Kevin Peters. Residents escaped safely, though two cats remain missing. Other residents of the multi-unit building were not home at the time.Fire fighters arriving on the scene found the top floor engulfed in flames with fire blowing out of windows.
Firefighters were called back to the scene around 2 a.m. Sunday after a “rekindle” ignited in two areas of the building, Peters said. Crews remained on site until about 9 a.m. as temperatures dropped as low as 4 degrees.
“It was very cold,” Peters said.
Despite the single-digit temperatures, Peters said the extreme weather did not hamper emergency response efforts from firefighters from Woodstock, Olive, West Hurley, and Glasco fire departments.
The cause of the fire was “undetermined,” Peters said, adding that there was no indication the blaze was suspicious. The Ulster County Fire Investigation Unit responded Saturday night and was expected to return Sunday morning to photograph the scene.
Family members of the owners of the fire-damaged building at 117 Tinker St. have launched a fundraising effort following the Jan. 31 blaze. Fire officials said the cause of the fire remains undetermined. A tenant who lived in the building also was displaced by the fire, according to officials.
The Red Cross was also aware of at least two other residents who left the scene and was working to contact them, according to Mary Alice Molgard, a disaster public affairs volunteer partner with the American Red Cross Hudson Valley.
Neighbor Chuck Liscum, 79, said he was reading when he noticed emergency lights reflecting on a wall and looked outside to see flames.
“The roof was mostly on fire at that time,” Liscum said.
Liscum said he called 911 and credited the Woodstock Police and Fire Departments for a quick response. After going back to sleep, he woke around 5 a.m. to find firefighters had returned.
“It was burning again in the back,” he said.
By Sunday morning, second-floor windows were gone, debris rested on the snow-covered roof, and icicles covered the front stoop. The smell of smoke lingered.
Peters said the building is a total loss.
John W. Barry is a reporter for The Overlook. Reach him at john@theoverlooknews.com.