Body of Firefighter Located After 112 Rescued From Fire at Assisted Living Facility

Nearly a full day after two dozen fire departments battled a massive blaze at an assisted living facility for seniors outside New York City, rescuing more than 100 residents, the body of a firefighter who disappeared in the flames was recovered late Tuesday night. Several sources confirmed the remains were that of Jared Lloyd, a 38-year-old firefighter with the Spring Valley, New York, volunteer department.

The disaster unfolded quickly, at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way. Smoke built in the halls of the facility, eventually setting off fire alarms just after 1 a.m. Soon, flames took hold and ripped through the three-story building in Monsey, New York, where more than 100 elderly residents — some able to walk, some not — were trapped.

BREAKING NEWS: Source on the scene tells me multiple people killed in nursing home fire including sadly a firefighter. pic.twitter.com/bRYPtmKuFe

— Mark Kennedy (@RealMarkKennedy) March 23, 2021

First police officers rushed to help as the flames took hold of the front of the building, then the cavalry arrived. As more than two dozen fire departments rushed to the scene, firefighter after firefighter dove into the flames to save residents. Smoke billowed from windows and water pressure dropped as more hoses came on.

When the structure finally collapsed, all residents made it out. But one firefighter was missing.

Approximately 112 residents were inside the Evergreen Court Home for Adults at the time of the fire Monday night, and at least 13 were transported to local hospitals for treatment. One resident is still hospitalized and is in critical condition. Multiple residents were treated for injuries while others were transported to other nearby assisted living facilities. 

24 hours after the horrific fire broke out, the body of @RocklandGov Firefighter Jared Loyd has been recovered.

REST IN PEACE pic.twitter.com/xu9abxhwGZ

— Rabbi Yisroel Kahan ?? (@ykahan) March 24, 2021

Rockland County Fire Coordinator Chris Kear said Wednesday morning that officials had located the body of a firefighter within the rubble of Evergreen Court, nearly a day after the facility collapsed. Shortly before a portion of the structure fell, he said, a firefighter had put out a “mayday” radio call signaling a need for help. The firefighter was believed to be on an upper floor that then collapsed before his fellow firefighters could to reach him. 

“There was a mayday call by this firefighter, and the mayday was answered,” Kear said during a Tuesday morning press conference. “However, with the extent of the fire, the volume of fire, the conditions were too unbearable, where firefighters went in and they could not locate the firefighter, and they had to back out.” 

Multiple agencies worked through Monday and most of Tuesday to search the rubble in hopes of finding Lloyd alive. Kear said a body was located Tuesday night at 11:52 p.m. using heavy machinery to carefully pick apart the rubble.

A somber moment, as the remains of #SpringValley Firefighter Jared Lloyd is escorted to the Medical Examiner.#RIP HERO?‍? pic.twitter.com/k5gRFteheG

— Rabbi Yisroel Kahan ?? (@ykahan) March 24, 2021

While Rockland officials had not yet confirmed Lloyd’s identity, two sources close to the department confirmed to Coffee or Die Magazine that Lloyd was the missing firefighter. Rabbi Yisroel Kahan, a member of the Rockland County Human Rights Commission and assistant to the Spring Valley Mayor and Police Department, spoke to Coffee or Die after tweeting that Lloyd was missing. A second local source familiar with the department also said the body pulled from the rubble was Lloyd. 

The county executive also named Lloyd in the press conference, though his remark appeared unintentional.

In all, 23 departments responded to the fire, many of whom returned to line the streets for a procession as an ambulance carried Lloyd’s body from the scene. Videos shared on social media showed police, fire, and EMS vehicles lined up to escort their fallen brother to the medical examiner’s office.

Kear responded to another reporters question about water pressure issues during his first press conference Tuesday morning, “Yeah, there were some water pressure issues in the area, there was multiple hydrants that we had to hit, we had to go down to route 45 in the village and lay a supply line to feed the engines and some water issues here.”

In addition, two firefighters were treated after the fire. One firefighter was hospitalized overnight for possible carbon monoxide poisoning. The fact that an all-volunteer firefighter force was able to evacuate all the residents in the short amount of time before it was a total loss speaks volumes to the level of their expertise and professionalism. 

Officials said that the building itself is a total loss and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.