By Alex Robinson
A three-alarm fire broke out at a Whitestone house, at 15th Drive and 163rd Street, just before noon Monday.
Neighbors who saw smoke coming out of the two-story house alerted the Fire Department, which promptly arrived to douse the flames.
The owners of the house, who were at work when the fire broke out, arrived to find the inside of their home gutted and their belongings ruined.
“Everything is destroyed,” said owner Hellen Andreopoulos, who has lived in the house for almost three years. “There’s water in the basement. I don’t think there’s one window left in the place. It hits you in the gut right now — seeing it like this.”
Neighbor Joe Upton said the house was one of the first houses built in the neighborhood.
“It’s a shame,” he said. “This was the nicest, well-manicured house of the whole area.”
The FDNY said no one was at home during the time of the fire and no one was injured.
Fire marshals have not yet determined the cause of the blaze.
Reach reporter Alex Robinson by e-mail at arobinson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
