Fire leaves three families without homes

Warwick — A fire that started in the electrical system of a garage in Homestead Village last week has left three families without homes. The fire started at 35 Candlestick, which was destroyed, and spread to 33 Candlestick, which was also damaged. The roof at 29 Candlestick was damaged as well. The families living in these units have had to find temporary housing. The other three families in this section of condos were displaced at least for the night, as utilities were turned off. There were no injuries. The alarm came in to the Warwick Fire Department at 12:38 Friday afternoon. Over 100 firefighters from Warwick, Greenwood Lake, Chester, Goshen, Pine Island, and Slate Hill responded to the blaze, as well as the Warwick Ambulance Corp. Other departments in the area were on standby. “This was a terrible fire in Homestead Village,” said Warwick Village Mayor Michael Newhard. “It could have been a terrible, terrible situation. I want to thank the Warwick Fire Department and the neighboring fire departments that responded and got the situation under control very quickly.” Newhard said Homestead Village Drive was closed for a while and the village opened a back entry gate that is only used for emergency access. A fund is being set up to help those families who were displaced by the fire. Anyone wishing to donate may contact the Homestead Village Homeowners Association at 987-1812.