Batavia PD and state investigators were working with City Fire investigators this morning to help gather evidence for further examination at the scene of an early morning fire on Hutchins Street that sent one person to Strong Memorial Hospital with serious injuries.
Fire Chief Stefano Napolitano said two dogs from the NYS Office of Fire Prevention and Control participated in the investigation this morning, including one K-9 that is trained in accelerant detection.
It will take two or three days for the evidence to be analyzed before investigators can start to draw any conclusions about the cause and origin of the fire.
Two people were taken to area hospitals this morning after the fire was reported at 2:59 a.m. Flames were showing from the attic and when the first City fire crews arrived on scene, two people were trapped on the second floor with their heads out of windows. Before crews could get ladders in place one person jumped from the second floor and suffered multiple injuries.
The second person was rescued by a firefighter on a ladder. That person was treated and released at UMMC.
The four-unit apartment building at 13 Hutchins St. was constructed in 1920 with a remodeling in 1970. It's a brick building with vinyl siding, which Capt. Bob Fix said this morning complicated the initial attack of the fire and allowed the heat to be trapped in the building.
Some firefighters required treatment for heat-related difficulties.
The 1,932-habitable-space complex is owned by Richard Siebert. The assessed value is $62,000.
Five residents were displaced and are being assisted by The Salvation Army.
Video from this morning's coverage:
