5 dead after fire tore through Hudson Valley house overnight

Five people, two of them minors, were killed in a devastating house fire on Saturday morning in an area north of New York City, emergency officials said.

Local police and fire officials rushed to a home on South Lake Street in the village of Spring Valley around 4 a.m. to report a full-blown blaze.

The growing fire had already engulfed much of the building upon their arrival and prevented arriving fire departments from accessing the residence, where several people were reportedly trapped inside, Rockland County Executive Ed Day explained at a briefing late this morning.

Search and rescue efforts began at 4:45 a.m. as soon as firefighters managed to put out the fire and entered the “two-family home,” officials said.

Crews found three people on the second floor and two others on the first floor, possibly fallen from a partial collapse during the fire. Their identities and ages were not immediately revealed.

County officials said that in addition to the deceased, five other people were injured, as well as one of the many firefighters who escaped. At least one of the victims was injured after jumping out of a second-story window.

Firefighters are assisted by the Red Cross at the Spring Valley Police Station.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.