Sources: Deadly Spring Valley house fire was electrical, started in the kitchen

Fire officials are looking into the possibility of an illegal wall and an illegal bedroom in the basement.

News 12 Staff

Mar 6, 2023, 11:17 AM

Updated 585 days ago

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Multiple sources tell News 12 that the deadly Spring Valley house fire was electrical and started in the kitchen.
The fire at the two-story multifamily home on 118 Lake St. was first reported to 911 at around 4:03 a.m. on Saturday, according to authorities. Spring Valley police rushed to the scene within a minute, followed by the Spring Valley Fire Department and six other local fire departments.
Five people, including two young cousins aged 3 and 14, were killed. Those individuals have since been identified as Nastacio Díaz, Maria Yosephina Garcia, Rudy Climaco, Darwin Climaco and Carlos Interiano.
Five others were also injured. It is the most people to die in one incident in the Hudson Valley since the tragedy on the Taconic in July 2009.
The American Red Cross is now working to help the survivors find new homes. The Red Cross is also sending teams to the area to talk with neighbors about fire safety and register them for smoke detector installations.
The deed for the property lists Jacob Jeremias as the owner of the building. News 12 sources say he owns several properties in the neighborhood and throughout the Hudson Valley.
Fire officials are looking into the possibility of an illegal wall and an illegal bedroom in the basement.
Work crews demolished the home that once stood at 118 Lake St. just hours after the fire. 
The East Ramapo Central School District is also in mourning.
A letter from the Chestnut Ridge Middle School principal to the community shared that one of their students had died and that grief counselors will be available.
The 14-year-old boy, Carlos Interiano, was a seventh grader there.