Thornwood firefighter Sean Carroll mourned after losing life in Thanksgiving house fire
First responders around Westchester County are mourning the loss of one of their own after a Thanksgiving tragedy.
Sean Carroll, a 26-year-old volunteer firefighter in Thornwood, died after a fire broke out in his home as he slept early Thursday morning.
"He genuinely was the nicest, most caring person anyone could ever know," Thornwood Fire Chief James Gedris said Sunday. "There's a real void left in the Thornwood Fire Department not having him here."
Carroll was part of a family of first responders — his father is a sergeant with the Rye Brook police and his brother is a career firefighter in New York City and a volunteer firefighter in Thornwood.
Carroll will be honored Sunday with a wake from 4 to 8 p.m. at Beecher Flooks Funeral Home at 418 Bedford Road in Pleasantville. A funeral Mass is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday at Holy Rosary Church at 170 Bradhurst Ave., also known as Route 100, in Hawthorne.
Burial is set for 11:30 a.m. Monday at Gate of Heaven Cemetery at 10 W. Stevens Ave. in Hawthorne.
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Carroll had been sleeping in the basement of his family's home on Warren Avenue, near the corner of Kensico Road, when a fire broke out in the basement before 4:45 a.m. Thursday.
His family members were able to escape, but he was taken to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, where he was pronounced dead. Gedris said the blaze was mostly contained to the basement and appeared to be accidental.
The Thornwood Fire Department said Carroll had been a member for eight years and was the fire company's recording secretary.
The department said in a Facebook post that it expects delays in the area on Monday for Carroll's funeral, with a procession from the funeral home on Bedford Road to Franklin Avenue, Commerce Street, Elmwood Avenue, the Route 141 overpass, Broadway, Bradhurst Avenue and Lakeview Avenue.
The department said it thanks "the 'amazing' town residents, business owners & visitors to our town for their support and donations during these past few days, and for the next couple of days."
The Rye Brook Police Benevolent Association set up a fundraiser that has collected more than $130,000 for the Carroll family, which was displaced after the fire.
"The Rye Brook PBA and Thornwood Fire Department would like to extend our deepest gratitude to all of those who have helped us surpass our goal (of $100,000)," Dan Bruno, a Rye Brook detective, said in a post on the fundraiser's website Sunday. "We are humbled by the tremendous response to this fundraiser.
"The Carrolls have found solace in the overwhelming support and generosity from friends, family, and the community as a whole. The messages of compassion and sympathy that have been included with the donations have truly meant a lot to them. As donations continue to be made, we ask that you please keep the Carrolls in your thoughts and prayers as they struggle through this. Once again, thank you."
Matt Spillane covers breaking news throughout the Hudson Valley. Click here for his latest stories. Follow him on Twitter @MattSpillane. Check out our latest subscription offers here.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Sean Carroll mourned after fatal Thornwood fire on Warren Avenue
