Teen brother and sister killed in Westchester County house fire

Two teens died after an overnight electrical fire in Westchester County. 

The raging fire gutted a home and shattered a family. A 17-year-old girl was killed, and her 15-year-old brother died a short time later after suffering critical injuries. 

The fire broke out at the home on Sherwood Road in Cortlandt Manor at around 2 a.m. Wednesday, fire officials said. 

Desperate efforts were made to rescue the people in the home. Neighbors ran over with a ladder. Responding firefighters found both doors to the home blocked by fire, but they were able to make rescues through the windows. 

"Fire and extreme heat and zero visibility, meaning smoke all the way down from the ceiling to the floor. Very high levels of heat. The door to the first bedroom was open, so the fire had already entered that first bedroom," Lake Mohegan Fire Chief Thomas Eade said. 

Two teens inside the home, a 15-year-old boy and 17-year-old girl, were pulled out in critical condition, having suffered extensive burn injuries. Both eventually succumbed to their injuries. The family's pet dog was also killed. 

Their mother was also injured in the fire but is expected to survive. Another adult and a firefighter were also injured.

There were other people in the home at the time of the fire.

The fire began when a power strip connected to an extension cord in the dining room failed, according to a preliminary investigation. The fire quickly spread through the raised ranch home. 

Officials say the home had smoke detectors, which woke up the mother. The father, Gregory Toone, is a county corrections officer and was at work when the fire erupted. 

One of the young survivors returned to the scene Wednesday morning to take another look at the gutted home. Late Wednesday, high school classmates of the girl who died left flowers at the scene and paused for a moment of reflection. 

Neighbors expressed shock and disbelief. 

"The thought was, oh my God, is everybody OK? And then this morning... It's just terrible," neighbor Jean Guardino said. "I've lived on this road for 51 years ... Nothing like this ever happened here before."

County officials and the Putnam Valley District said they will do all they can to support the family at this terrible time.