It appears that an electrical fire in Katonah at 4 Westview Drive Monday morning may have been caused by a portable generator hooked up to a home that had just had its power restored.
"The [Westchester County] Cause and Origin team hasn't finished their investigation, but what we thought was a kitchen fire may instead have been related to the generator running when the power came back on," said Katonah Fire Department Chief James McHugh.
The generator was hooked up to the white split-level home when utility crews restored power to the area earlier this morning. About 15 minutes after the lights came back on, the homeowner smelled smoke in the kitchen, according to McHugh.
When firefighters arrived on the scene at about 9:30 a.m., smoke was pluming out the first floor windows. They they quickly determined the fire was not coming from the kitchen and entered through the partially finished basement, running water lines in through the sliding doors, McHugh said.
It took about a half-hour to extinguish the fire.
The homeowner was not injured in the fire but the home isn't livable, he added.
The Katonah Fire Department responded to the scene along with the Bedford Hills, Mount Kisco and Goldens Bridge Fire Departments, Bedford Police Department and Katonah Bedford Hills Ambulance Corps.
