MONTICELLO -- The Sullivan County Chapter of the American Red Cross in Greater New York provided emergency assistance to 13 families displaced by an apartment house fire at Colonial Hills Apartments in Monticello.

The Red Cross was contacted by the Sullivan County Emergency Control Center at 8:13 p.m. and Disaster Action Team (DAT) volunteers Ivette Rivera, Dennis Rundle and Irving Rundle, all residents of Monticello, were deployed to the scene of the fire.

Thirty apartments were affected by heavy smoke caused by the fire, which was started reportedly in a second floor apartment. The Red Cross met with people displaced by the blaze until after midnight and provided aid to 20 adults and five children. Typically, the Red Cross offers vouchers for temporary shelter, food, clothing and other essential items.

The local DAT is made up of volunteers who live in Sullivan County. For information on how to become a Red Cross volunteer, contact Sullivan chapter director Bette Popovich, at the Mongaup Valley office, 845/583-8340.