ROCKLAND COUNTY (PIX11) — It was a close call for more than 100 homeowners in Rockland County on Friday after a brush fire broke out.
The fire that started around 2 p.m. spread quickly along the CSX train tracks and then into the brush that runs up against homes.
Clarkstown Police said several homes had damaged siding, and one detached garage was burned in Congers. As the flames approached the Hidden Valley Townhomes, police went door to door to evacuate people. The fire burned a fence at the property’s exterior on Leif Boulevard.
Maggie Weinstein told PIX11 News she had just minutes to grab a few belongings.
“I said to myself, what do I grab? I have medicine. She has medicine and two computers. It was touch and go, it was scary, so much smoke, horrible,” Weinstein said.
Retired volunteer firefighter Ken McQuade used a garden hose to stop the flames from burning his home. The brush fire stopped just on the other side of the driveway.
“I saw a huge orange glow. I mean, it was like 30 feet behind that house. So I quickly go get the garden hose and I started wetting it down, and my son is saying, you got to get out of here, this thing is coming this way,” McQuade told PIX11 News.
