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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Several families were left homeless on Tuesday by a fire that gutted the top floor and roof of an apartment building along Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains.
White Plains Fire Chief Richard Lyman said 26 firefighters from eight fire companies did a phenomenal job knocking down the blaze which he said was rolling above their heads as they vented the roof of the four-story structure and got it under control within 30 minutes.
A resident in a duplex apartment on the top floor of the building discovered the fire in a stairwell, Lyman said, and escaped while knocking on others' doors on her way out. There are a total of 12 apartments in the building, according to Lyman. Several tenants may have to be relocated due to water and structural damage, and will be assisted by the American Red Cross and White Plains Police Department.
Lyman said an inspection was continuing late Tuesday afternoon.
The fire forced the closure of Mamaroneck Avenue near Post Road about noon, and it remained closed for about 90 minutes.
No one was reported hurt in the blaze that damaged the top floor at the rear of the building.
Firefighters atop a hook-and-ladder trucks at the front and rear of the building got the fire under control. They worked under frigid, snowy conditions.
Firefighters from the Fairview and Hartsdale Fire Departments in the town of Greenburgh provided mutual aid, Lyman said.
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