On the morning of Tuesday, January 3, 2023, between 6am and 6:30am according to neighboring residents who called 911, the house at 925 Wolcott Avenue known to longtime Beaconites as “The Guest House” because it was a group home, was engulfed in a raging fire, which destroyed all 3 floors. According to Zillow, the house had 9 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms.

According to those at the scene, there was no one living inside of the house at the time of the fire. The house had been purchased 6 months ago, according to the new owner, and was under renovation.

First responders could not yet confirm that there were no injuries, but they indicated that no one had been inside to need assistance. By 9:30am, once the fire was contained and smoke remained, fire fighters began searching the rubble to make sure no one was inside, as they searched for “hot spots” to continue to put out. Also at that time, Beacon’s City Administrator Chris White could be seen exiting the scene.

At 6:35am, flames and smoke could be seen above roofs of neighboring houses. According to one resident who called 911 at approximately 6:35am, other people had also called in to report the fire. According to that resident, no sirens were immediately heard approaching, even though they may have arrived at the building already.

UPDATE 1/6/2023: Other readers did recall hearing sirens. It was a multi-agency event, so several first responders from different communities were there.

In Beacon, during slow periods on the road, or in quiet hours, emergency response units have been known to flash their lights but not their sirens, perhaps out of noise consideration.

According to first responders at the scene, they arrived at 6:30am to fight the fire. Several fire departments assisted as mutual aid, including Rombout, Fishkill, Glenham, and others. Those at the scene said the blaze was so hot, that it almost melted a fire truck.

UPDATE 1/6/2023: Other readers did recall hearing sirens. It was a multi-agency event, so several first responders from different communities were there.

UPDATE 1/6/2023: As reported by the Highlands Current, first responders included: firefighters from the Village of Fishkill, Castle Point and Glenham. Both of Beacon’s ambulance services, Ambulnz and Beacon Volunteer Ambulance, assisted. the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office and MTA police also assisted. Rombout and Chelsea firefighters provided standby coverage in the city. The fire is being investigated by the Beacon Police, the Dutchess Sheriff’s Office and the Dutchess Fire Investigation Division.

The fire’s heat did peel vinyl siding off the neighboring house, and those residents were vacated from their home while the fire was put out near their home with water. Central Hudson poles on the sidewalk near the house were also burned.

Central Hudson was also on the scene to find the gas line under the ground to shut it off to prevent any gas leak. They began digging using a private contractor trained in such excavation.

Beacon City School District Administrative building is nearby, as is Sargent Elementary School. Containment of the blaze was ongoing during the morning arrival of students via bus, car and those who walk. Sargent Elementary PTO issued an update via Instagram to those transporting to expect delays, and that the drop off circle was not in use, but that the school was not physically impacted by the fire.

According to Mid Hudson News, the 3rd floor of the house collapsed. Experts on the scene predicted the entire building would need to be demolished.

Alleged Cause Of The Fire

According to those at the scene, arson was suspected by fire fighters, who called in the Dutchess County Fire Investigation Division, who reportedly prefers to not use the word “arson” in their title anymore. Their truck is labeled Dutchess County Emergency Response Field Support Unit. A black dog trained to sniff for gasoline was seen exploring the scene.

Inside, the house had been stripped to the studs. According the building’s owner who spoke to A Little Beacon Blog, the suspect had turned himself in for setting the fire. According to the owner, the suspect could be seen removing a security camera before allegedly pouring gasoline throughout the house. The owner said the suspect had been a tenant in the boarding house prior, but did not live there now. ALBB reached out to Beacon Police Chief Sands Frost and City Administrator Chris White for confirmation and/or comment, and has not yet received a response.

UPDATE 1/6/2023: The Highlands Current reported in the print version of their article published after the online version was published: “Police said he walked to the department and turned himself in immediately after starting the fire. He is in custody at the Dutchess County jail in Poughkeepsie and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 10 a.m. in Beacon today (Jan. 6).”

According to Beacon City Court when ALBB followed up, that preliminary hearing got adjourned and postponed to the following week, the date still to be released.

UPDATE 1/3/2023 5pm: The Beacon Police Department issued a Press Release confirming arson. Read it here.

According to reporting by Mid-Hudson News: “The property had recently been sold and construction was being performed at the property until the project was shut down by city officials.” A Little Beacon Blog has reached out to Beacon’s Building Department Inspector Bruce Flower and the City Administrator Chris White for comment and has not yet received a response.

As the building’s owner looked at the wreckage, he reflected to ALBB that it was a landmark. When asked if he had plans to designate it historic, he answered that he did not. As for any historic designation, ALBB reached out to Beacon’s City Planner John Clark, who said: “So sorry to hear about the fire. This building, although old enough, is not included in the City's Historic District and Landmark Overlay Zone and, as far as I know, not on the National Register of Historic Places. It was also not on a list of residential buildings considered last year for the HDLO, which concentrated on properties closer to Main Street.”

Longtime residents of Beacon remember 925 Wolcott Avenue as a boarding house for men. Old pictures show the condition of the inside of the house, including notes residents wrote to each other, as well as architectural details.

It is not known when the last time the building was inspected while people lived inside of it, before it was purchased and gutted.

Tips can be sent to the Beacon Police Department and to A Little Beacon Blog.