Four people were killed early Saturday after a fire broke out at a state-run group home for mentally disabled residents in upstate New York, the governor’s office said.
The fire started at about 5:30 a.m. at the facility in Wells, New York, about 70 miles north of the state capital of Albany, where nine residents lived, and two staffers were on duty at the time of the fire. Two victims died at the site of the fire and two died during hospitalization, according to a statement from New York Gov. David Paterson’s office. Two other residents were taken to area hospitals, including one taken from the scene by helicopter, said Marissa Shorenstein, a spokeswoman for the governor’s office. The cause of the fire is under investigation, Shorenstein said.
