Sandy may have led to house fire

CHESTER — Fire broke out at 342 Bellvale Lakes Road in Warwick Thursday morning, according to the Chester Fire Department.

Local firefighters responded at about 7:45 a.m. on Nov. 8, after a passerby on Bellvale Lakes Road called 911 to report flames coming from the roof of the house.

The Chester Fire Department responded to the scene led by Assistant Chief Bob Favara. The fire was extinguished, but the house suffered significant damage.

The fire originated in the attic of the home near the woodstove chimney, according to a report by the Chester Fire Department. It is suspected that the chimney may have been damaged during Hurricane Sandy because winds damaged the roof of the house.

The house is owned by the Bruderhof community in Chester, and was unoccupied at the time of the fire.

The Chester Fire Department was assisted at the scene by firefighters from Monroe, Warwick, Florida, Greenwood Lake, and the Orange County Fire Investigation Unit. Washingtonville, Goshen and South Blooming Grove fire departments provided crews and apparatus to man the Chester fire stations during the fire.

No injuries were reported.