New York Home’s Design Eyed in Fire Fatal to 3 Students

Authorities say the structure of a nearly century-old Hudson Valley home where three people died in a fire last weekend may have contributed to the speed at which the blaze spread.

Fire officials in the town of Poughkeepsie tell the Poughkeepsie Journal that the house was purchased from Sears Roebuck and constructed in 1913. The officials say Sears homes were typically constructed in such a way that interior walls had open spaces which can act as a chimney during a fire.

Saturday’s early morning fire killed Eva Block of Woodbridge, Conn.; Kerry Fitzsimmons of Commack on Long Island, and Kevin Johnson of New Canaan, Conn., all 21. Block and Fitzsimmons were students at Marist College, while Johnson was enrolled at Dutchess Community College.

Four people escaped. The cause of the fire is being investigated.