The crowd to play pickleball at Quiet Cove Riverfront Park was considerably smaller Wednesday afternoon. That’s according to Matthew Pennachio.
He said his picklers group chat was consumed by the news of a massive fire engulfing the abandoned Hudson River Psychiatric Center a few miles away off Route 9 in Poughkeepsie. Once they heard some shops in the Hudson Heritage Hills shopping center were closing, many players decided to stay away.
“When I came by, it was blazing," Pennachio said. "I mean, cars were slowing down on the road, people were looking at it. It was pretty cool to look at, you know. It's a giant fire. It's always kind of fun to look at. I think it deterred a lot of people from coming here.”
MidHudson News reported the Fairview Fire Department arrived at the scene of the blaze shortly after 11 a.m.
The fire reportedly began in the historic Avery Building, but a spokesperson for the department said by Wednesday evening the blaze had reached four structures on the sprawling property. All affected buildings were vacant at the time of the fire.
A firefighter on scene, who was granted anonymity because they were not permitted to speak publicly, said the fire is still active.
More than 50 emergency personnel and a dozen fire engines from as far away as Ulster County initially responded to the fire Wednesday. A Fairview Fire Department spokesperson said fighting a fire at an abandoned property covered in overgrowth was similar to fighting a fire in the woods.
The spokesperson said the size of the buildings posed another challenge.
The firefighter who spoke to WAMC said the fire was horrible. He said first responders tried to stop it from spreading as much as they could. In particular, they tried to protect one building undergoing renovations. However, he said it “went up like a tinderbox.”
He said there was heavy construction equipment on scene due to the renovations, and an operator had to be called in to move the machines away.
Speaking Wednesday afternoon, Dutchess County Communications Director Colleen Pillus said the fire was an “all-hands on deck” situation.
“It is a very active, very involved fire,” said Pillus. “As a matter of fact, you can actually see flames from quite a distance. We can see them here in our office. So, people are asked to avoid that area of Route 9."
According to the county, no injuries have been reported. However, the firefighter who spoke to WAMC said two firefighters went to the hospital on Wednesday due to dehydration and low blood sugar.
Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino recommended that those with asthma and respiratory conditions keep windows shut.
While Route 9 remained open to traffic, the roads leading up to the scene were blocked off, as was the shopping plaza.
Still, locals were seen bringing ice, water and food to first responders, including two workers from a nearby Stewart's Shops.
One of them was Gwen Jaguia.
"We just decided that's the Stewart's way to be, just to bring stuff and be part of the community,” she said.
Nearby in Quiet Cove Riverfront Park, while some folks were still playing pickleball, others like Paula Dittrich stopped to watch the fire.
“It's just ... it's sad to see it go," she said. "It's ... it's my child driving by here every day, all the time, looking at it, to now be here and not have it be the way it was, or just to see it is ... it's just sad.”
Several fires have been reported at the facility, including a 2018 fire that was intentionally set.
The psychiatric center was established in 1868 and has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
The firefighter who spoke to WAMC Thursday described the blaze as a “deep-seated fire,” like a bonfire when the coals are still burning.
He said, as of Thursday, there is only a skeleton crew on watch to make sure the fire does not spread.
