Hundreds Displaced By Fire in Dutchess County

Hundreds in Dutchess County spent Halloween away from their homes due to a fire. It's unclear when they will be allowed back.

On Tuesday around 3:40 p.m., there were multiple reports of a fire at the Rip Van Winkle Apartments located on Rinaldi Boulevard in the City of Poughkeepsie.

Responding firefighters found smoke coming from multiple floors of the apartment building.

Officials from Central Hudson arrived on the scene, determined the issue and cut power to the building. It was determined that the fire originated in the basement and was electrical in nature, officials say.

The City of Poughkeepsie Building Inspector determined that the building was unsafe and ordered all residents vacate the building. According to the Rip Van Winkle Apartments website, the building houses 179 homes.

A temporary shelter has been set-up at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center by the American Red Cross. At this time it is not known how long repairs will take to restore electrical service to the building, officials say.

A Halloween parade for displaced children was setup outside the Civic Center Tuesday evening.

Spot a typo? Let us know.

• Hudson Valley Man Accused of Second Fatal Drunk Driving Accident
• DA: Hudson Valley Woman, Former Cop Killed 9 Horses
• Police: Hudson Valley Teens Stole 3 Motorcycles, Guns, Ammo
• DA: Hudson Valley Teacher Raped High School Student
• Young Mother Missing For Nearly 600 Days May Be in Hudson Valley

Here are this week's Top 5 news stories from the Hudson Valley