N.Y. Group Home Fire Leaves One Dead

MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. -- A 50-year-old man was found dead late Wednesday after firefighters extinguished a blaze at a group home for the mentally disabled on Highland Avenue.
The man's name has not been released, pending notification of family members. An autopsy is scheduled for this morning. Whether the victim was a resident in the home is unclear.

Fire Spawns New Service for Developmentally Disabled

WARREN, Ohio -- Attempting to pull a positive out of an extremely negative situation, Warren unveiled a new service Monday that was prompted by a fire on Bonnie Brae Avenue that claimed one life in 2009.

The service enables citizens to give information about individuals with special needs in their residence. The Bonnie Brae fire involved several mentally disabled people living in a group home. Firefighters had no way of accessing that information.

The new program aims to resolve that. Within the next week, residents will receive a questionnaire with their water bill. Residents can disclose any special needs information they deem may be helpful to emergency first responders. That information will then be placed in a database that will be accessed whenever fire, police or ambulance personnel are dispatched to that address.