10/20/2026
Press Release
Fatal Structure Fire
On Friday, October 16th, 2026, at 5:23am the Woodstock Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire at the White Birch Apartments in the Hamlet of Wittenberg.
Police units from the Town of Woodstock and NYCDEP arrived and began removing occupants from the structure. They reported that one occupant was unaccounted for in the main building that was affected by the fire.
Firefighters from Woodstock, Olive, West hurley and Centerville were unable to make entry due to a heavy fire load and subsequent collapse of the center structure. A structured exterior attack resulted in the fire being knocked down in an hour and a half.
At that time an extensive overhaul began. At 8:00am the victim was located and work was stopped so that The Ulster County M.E. and NYSP BCI could begin their preliminary investigation, and the victim could be removed from the scene.
After the victim was removed, an excavator was brought in to assist fire investigators and to help with the overhaul. The final Woodstock units cleared the scene at 15:27. The Red Cross is providing the displaced residents with clothing and living quarters.
Two fire fighters received minor injuries on the scene. Neither firefighter required medical intervention. Two residents of the apartments were transported to Health Alliance in Kingston.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The Woodstock Fire Department would like to extend our greatest gratitude to the following Fire Departments and local agencies that put in hours of hard work assisting our department on scene. Thank you to the following:
The auxiliary who provided the food and drink. Big Indian, Centerville - Cedar Grove, Glasco, Mt. Marion, Malden West Camp, Olive, Phoenicia, Saxton, Ulster Hose, West Hurley Fire Departments, The Town of Woodstock Highway Department, Town to Woodstock Supervisors office, The Red Cross, Central Hudson, Ulster County Emergency Services, Ulster County Fire Investigation Unit, The Woodstock Police Department, NYCDEP Police, The New York State Police BCI, Ulster County Medical Examiner’s Office and Orange County Sheriff Department K-9 Unit (Nova).
