A Hudson Valley family of six, including an infant, were nearly killed. A local woman has been charged with attempted murder.

On Tuesday, the City of Port Jervis Police Department announced the arrest of a Port Jervis woman.

Dawn Hulse, 50, of Port Jervis was charged with several crimes including six counts of attempted murder and arson, all felonies. Hulse is accused of intentionally setting multiple fires inside an apartment house with the intent of causing death to the occupants of the dwelling.

She was also arrested on November 12, 2021, for attempted arson in Goshen. She was released in November with no bail due to bail reform, officials say.

On Tuesday around 12:20 am, the Port Jervis City Police and Fire Departments responded to a fire alarm activation at a two-family home located at 156 Jersey Avenue in the City of Port Jervis.

Police arrived on the scene and observed heavy smoke and fire emanating from the downstairs apartment while occupants consisting of three adults and three children, (infant, age 5, age 15), from the second-floor apartment were observed evacuating the residence.

Officers were informed that a female occupant was observed inside the first-floor apartment causing officers to attempt to make entry inside the apartment for a rescue. Officers forced entry into the apartment and observed that the exterior doors had been intentionally barricaded on the interior side to prevent entry. Officers observed several separate fires burning inside the apartment.

Armed with fire extinguishers, officers attempted to extinguish the fire which was burning in several rooms while searching for the female occupant. Due to the fire conditions and heavy smoke, officers were forced to retreat from the residence and alerted arriving Port Jervis Fire Department personnel that a female occupant was trapped inside the apartment.

Firefighters located the female occupant in the rear bathroom of the apartment with the door barricaded, officials say.

A team of police officers and firefighters forced entry into the bathroom and located Hulse, who resides in the apartment, unresponsive lying face down in the bathtub, police say.

Officers and firefighters evacuated the victim from the residence to perform life-saving measures and discovered the victim had a pulse and was breathing on her own. The victim was transported by Port Jervis EMS to Bon Scours Community Hospital for treatment.

An investigation into the incident was conducted by the Port Jervis Police Department, Orange County Fire Investigation Unit, Port Jervis Fire Department and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

As a result of the investigation, the cause of the fire was determined to be intentionally set by Hulse and it was learned that the electronic circuit breaker powering the smoke detectors for the apartment building was disconnected prior to the fire being set, officials say.

“Arson places not only its intended victims at risk, but also those who occupy nearby residences, as well as the brave first responders who regularly risk their lives to protect our lives and property. I particularly commend the City of Port Jervis Police for their work on this case, as well as the firefighters who prevented this crime from becoming an even greater tragedy," District Attorney David M. Hoovler said.

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