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An accidental blaze ignited in the kitchen of former council member Dennis Robertson’s 27 Belmont Terrace house about 10:46 a.m., firefighters said.
Robertson, who was in the home along with his wife and four of his children when the fire started, said the family called 911 before running across the street to the home of off-duty firefighter P.J. Goldfedder.
Using a large fire extinguisher he kept in his home, Goldfedder was able to contain the blaze until Yonkers firefighters arrived a few minutes later.
“He made an aggressive attack on the fire and kept it in the kitchen,” Deputy Chief John Flynn said.
While Robertson’s home suffered damage to the kitchen and adjoining rooms, Flynn said it likely would have been a lot worse had Goldfedder not responded.
“The chief on scene related that had this firefighter not been there, the home most likely would have been heavily damaged, maybe lost,” Flynn said.
Robertson said he was thankful for the quick thinking of Goldfedder.
“He’s clearly my Christmas hero,” Robertson said.
Once at the home, firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze in less than an hour. There were no injuries, Flynn said.
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