Fatal Fire at state-run group home

Four people who lived in the Riverview Individual Residential Alternative in Wells died this morning after a fire at the group home. Two died while being flown to a hospital. Two died at the scene at 1534 State Route 30 in Hamilton County. Five residents survived. RIDA is a 24-hour supervised group home whose residents are developmentally disabled and medically frail. OMRD says the home was under the auspices of the Sunmount Developmental Disabilities Services Office (DDSO), in Tupper Lake.

According to OMRDD, the fire alarm rang at 5:30. OMRDD says two staff members who were working at the time evacuated four people with developmental disabilities. The deceased are two men aged 32 and 52 and two women aged 43 and 60.

A 71-year-old  resident is being treated at a Utica hospital, and the other four residents, age 46 to 64, were relocated to another home. The two staff members also survived.

CBS 6 News is withholding the names of the four deceased and the survivors at the request of OMRDD spokeswoman Nicole Weinstein. Weinstein says the names were released by mistake and in violation of the Mental Hygeine law. An attorney for OMRDD says Weinstein is the "acting" spokesperson and "didn't know the rule."

No information was available regarding what might have caused the fire. OMRDD says the investigation is being handled by The New York State Department of State Office of Fire Prevention and Control as well as the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Sunmount and OMRDD will also investigate, as will the New York State Commission on Quality of Care and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities.