Five-alarm fire destroys Kiryas Joel homes
| 24 Jan 2013 | 11:38

Image courtesy K.J. F.D. A five-alarm fire forced an evacuation of this residential building in the Village of Kiryas Joel.
KIRYAS JOEL – A five-alarm fire tore through a housing complex in the densely populated Village of Kiryas Joel Wednesday afternoon, forcing residents to evacuate their homes, officials said.
Firefighters with the village fire department were called out to the blaze around 2 p.m., on reports of a burning fan in the building, officials said in an online statement.
Once inside, the fire crew reported there to be an advancing electrical fire, with active fire running through the walls, according to the statement.
After calling in a second alarm the fire worsened, prompting crews to evacuate the building and sound five alarms for mutual aid, officials said.
— Joshua Rosenau