A house fire was reported at about 7:40 p.m. in the Village of Oakfield. It's a one-alarm fire so far at 12 Maple Ave. with one unit now on location. No other information yet available.
UPDATE (7:05): A City of Batavia fire truck and an ambulance have been asked to stand by.
UPDATE (7:06): Reported that power to house has been cut off.
UPDATE (7:08): Upstairs of house has been declared all clear.
UPDATE (7:16): Firefighters working to get into the attic. The smoke in there is getting thick.
UPDATE (7:23) Flames out and smoke cleared.
UPDATE: (7:26) Salvage crew requested for mop up.
UPDATE (7:28): Throughout this operation, no injuries or occupants noted. There's a call out to get all names of family members.
UPDATE Friday 8:10 a.m. (by Howard): The Sheriff's Office has released information on the fire. Investigators believe the cause of the fire was electrical. The home owner Alicia Fitzsimmons placed the initial 9-1-1 call, reporting a fire in a bedroom. When Oakfield firefighters arrived, they found flames coming out of the front door and front downstairs bedroom. Fire departments from Alabama, Elba, East Pembroke and the town and city of Batavia assisted. The fire was investigated by Deputy Tim Wescott and Deputy Patrick Reeves. The house is believed to be a total loss.
H can you take any pixs?
H can you take any pixs?
Howard is working on other
Howard is working on other stuff. I've got the scanner at home with no camera to use if I was there. Hopefully, the firefighters can post something later.
The occupants were Steve
The occupants were Steve Fitzsimmons, his wife, two boys, and the dog. All are out O.K., but have nothing but the clothes on their backs. Janet Foppes and her three children, of 26 Gibson Street, around the corner, are on their way back to the scene with donations of shoes for the boys and a few spare clothes. Mrs. Fitsimmons says that they have a lot of family in the area and will surely have a place to stay tonight, but she was understandably upset at the loss of all of their possessions.
The interior of the house looks to be a complete loss. The frame of the house looks now to be structurally questionable and may have to come down.
A second alarm was called
A second alarm was called immediately upon arrival of an Oakfield officer bringing equipment from Alabama, Elba, and Town of Batavia. A City ambulance was also requested to the scene. Looks like the fire had a pretty good head start but Oakfield FD did a great job knocking it down.