A massive fire swept through several buildings at a historic psychiatric facility in New York’s Hudson Valley, with dramatic footage capturing the destruction.
The blaze broke out Wednesday at the abandoned Hudson River Psychiatric Center in Poughkeepsie, a site established in 1867 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 after its closure years earlier, according to Pix 11.
Aerial video shows three structures across the campus—many of them wooden buildings dating back to the late 19th century—engulfed in thick smoke and flames, as more than a dozen fire units from across the region worked to bring the fire under control.
Smoke from the blaze was visible for miles, officials said.
“Because of the sheer size, age, and vacant nature of the structures on the old campus, fighting fires here requires an immense amount of water transport and manpower,” Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino said in a statement, urging residents to avoid the area.
One firefighter suffered a heat-related injury and was treated at the scene by EMS early in the response. No civilian injuries have been reported, according to MidHudsonNews.
A bystander called 911 and first reported smoke around 11 a.m., according to the Times Union.
Authorities said the fire started in the old Avery building before quickly spreading to two additional structures, triggering a large-scale response involving at least a dozen fire departments from across the region.
The abandoned psychiatric hospital was originally established in 1867.
Officials said the cause of the fire remains under investigation. The campus is not connected to the electric grid, authorities confirmed.
Plans have circulated for years to redevelop the sprawling 150-acre property, but no significant progress has been made, according to the Times Union.
