Small Fire Forces Evacuation Of Tallman Towers Apartments In Nyack

Investigators from the Rockland County Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Identification are looking into the cause of a fire at Tallman Tower apartments on South Broadway in Nyack Saturday that forced a brief evacuation of the building.

No one was injured in the 1:34 p.m. fire at the front door of a second floor apartment at the 36 S. Broadway complex, according to N Chief Jim Petriello. The fire led to the evacuation of the building's residents, mostly senior citizens, to the adjacent Nyack Center and to the Nyack YMCA directly across the street.

Nyack Mayor said the evacuation went smoothly and residents were allowed back to their apartments as soon as fire officials and village inspectors determined it was safe.

One resident, who requires oxygen treatment, was taken to by as a precautionary measure.

Petriello said the door to the apartment affected by the fire had burn marks around the door bell, however, the door bell is mechanical—not electrical. Because of the uncertainty of what caused the fire, Petriello said he called for the investigators from the Bureau of Criminal Identification to assist.

An automatic alarm alerted firefighters to the fire.

Volunteers from the Nyack Fire Department were at the scene of the fire, with volunteers from Piermont and Central Nyack on standby in case they were needed to assist.