fire

An alleged open burn with smoke blowing into a residence is reported at 86 South Main St., Batavia.

City Fire dispatched.

Law enforcement is in route.

A controlled burn at 7833 Walker Road, Pavilion, is now reportedly out of control and spreading toward a barn.

The fire is about 20 feet from the structure.

Pavilion Fire dispatched.

The spring burn ban has been lifted, but the National Weather Service has an advisory for dry and windy conditions in place warning of elevated fire danger.

UPDATE 4:22 p.m.: Le Roy Fire asked to standby in the Le Roy hall.

Strong winds, no fire hydrants, and the ongoing shortage of volunteer firefighters made today's barn fire in Darien a bit more challenging to fight, said Tim Yaeger, emergency management coordinator for Genesee County.

The fire was reported at about 8:30 a.m. at 2044 Sumner Road, Darien, a 9.4-acre residential parcel owned by David Keller that contained multiple barns and other out structures, all mostly built in the 1950s and 1960s.

Yaeger said an investigation found that the source of the fire was a fire started by the homeowners to the southwest of the barn that caught fire.  Yaeger said the wind changed direction, and embers flew into the barn causing combustible items in the barn to catch fire.

The barn was in disrepair, Yaeger said, and damage to the west side of the barn exposed the interior to the flying embers.

The fire spread and expanded quickly because of the wind, Yaeger said.

There were no injuries, either to residents or firefighters, Yaeger said.  There were no livestock or domestic animals involved in the fire.

Darien Fire was initially dispatched to the fire (follow the link for more photos).

Multiple tankers for surrounding departments, including Corfu, East Pembroke, and Alexander, were dispatched.  The tankers were necessary, Yaeger said, because that part of Darien does not have public water, and there are no fire hydrants in the area.

The need for tankers increases the need for volunteer firefighters, and those are in short supply at the start of a weekday workday, so getting enough manpower to the scene today was an issue, Yaeger said.

Darien Fire, in particular, has been dealing recently with a lack of volunteers.

The lack of volunteers, he said, again illustrates the crisis situation for local fire companies.

"It's still a real concern of mine," Yaeger said. "I applaud the City of Batavia Fire Department for being a real partner with us.  We've got to do something to increase the number of volunteers."

He said a lot of volunteers are aging out, and many who are showing up have been volunteers for 30, 40, or even 50 years, and they do what they can.

"They're still proud of their service to their communities, but we need a new message to bring out younger volunteers to join their ranks," Yaeger said.

Still, even with the challenges, the fire departments on scene were able to have half of a secondary structure that caught fire, as well as the rest of the structures on the property, including the house.

"The house wasn't damaged at all," Yaeger said.

The annual spring ban on controlled burns and open fires ends today, but the National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement warning of an elevated fire risk for the region.

Statement: 

A combination of dry conditions and wind today will create an elevated risk of wildfire spread across western and north central New York. Relative humidity values will drop to as low as 15 to 25 percent, with winds gusting up to 35 mph at times. Despite the recent green-up, these conditions may allow for rapid spread of fires if ignition occurs.

A barn fire is reported at 2044 Sumner Road, Darien.

Darien Fire, Corfu Fire, and Alexander Fire, along with Mercy EMS dispatched.

A second alarm has been sounded for East Pembroke, Town of Batavia and City Fire's FAST Team.

UPDATE 10:20 a.m.: When The Batavian left the scene 20 minutes ago, firefighters were still battling with hot spots, and officials at the fire were not yet ready to release information.  The cause of the fire has not been confirmed yet. 

Flames and smoke are showing from a second floor at 39 Manhattan Ave., Batavia.

Unknown if occupied.

City Fire on scene.

UPDATE 10:12 a.m.: Fire is out.  Visually, no apparent significant damage to the structure. 

UPDATE 11:32 a.m.: The cause of the fire is under investigation, said Chief Josh Graham. Nobody was home at the time of the fire, and there were no animals present, Graham said. No injuries reported. "At approximately 9:46 this morning, we are alerted to a possible structure fire," Graham said. "Before we arrived on location, they called and updated us and said there was actual flame showing. Crews made entry and quickly extinguish it. It was a small room-and-contents fire on the second story. Right now, they're doing salvage and overhaul through the structure."

Graham praised the work of the firefighters. "We were actually given a tour at the fire station at the time. And so they were out ready to go and got here within a couple of minutes, and that speaks volumes to our ability to be able to go in there and knock these fires out before they get out of hand. They did a fantastic job today."

An open fire is reported in the backyard at a residence on Edwards Street, Batavia.

It's the second open burn City Fire is responding to tonight.

There's a burn ban in effect until May 14.

UPDATE 10:31 p.m.: Fire is out. The Resident advised the fire was not permitted. City Fire is back in service.

A grass fire is reported behind the residence at 1262 Herkimer Road, Darien.

Darien Fire dispatched.

UPDATE 1:38 p.m.: Fire is under control.

A grass fire is reported at 10724 Alexander Road, near Stroh Road, in Alexander.

The fire is approaching a residence.

Alexander Fire dispatched.

An apparent "controlled burn" is out of control, according to dispatchers, and a tree is on fire at 112 Elm St., Batavia.

The homeowner reportedly stated that they were burning sticks in the backyard.

City Fire is dispatched. 

There is a burn ban in effect until May 14.

Multiple brush fires are reported in the woods in the area of 6364 Britt Road, Stafford.

Stafford Fire dispatched with mutual aid from South Byron and Le Roy.

A car fire -- with flames showing -- is reported in the parking lot of Batavia Downs.

The location is right across from the entrance.

Town of Batavia Fire is responding.

A fire is reported in a garage attached to a house at 5968 Bartoff Road, Stafford.

There are propane tanks nearby.

All occupants out of the structure except for animals.

Stafford Fire along with South Byron, Byron, Bergen, City of Batavia, Le Roy, and Town of Batavia dispatched. Mercy EMS also dispatched.

UPDATE 3:22 p.m.: City Fire and South Byron are back in service.

A shed fire with smoke and flames showing is reported at 10950 Bowen Road, Alexander.

Alexander Fire, Darien Fire, and Attica Fire dispatched.

A house fire is reported at 3134 Lockport Road, Oakfield.

Smoke and flames showing.

Oakfield Fire with mutual aid from Elba Fire responding.

UPDATE 3:56 p.m.: Town of Batavia's Ladder 22 requested to the scene.

UPDATE 4:33 p.m. by  Joanne Beck: A quick response from Oakfield fire helped contain the small fire to the exterior of the house. The origin of the fire may have been a chimney. Response came from Oakfield and Elba fire departments. Both are clearing the scene, and Batavia ladder 22 was canceled before it arrived on scene.

Photo by Howard Owens.

A transformer has blown on Cockram Road, causing a small fire in the woods.

Route 237 is being closed to traffic.

The call started with a report of a tree down leaning against wires.  Shortly after a chief arrived on scene, the transformer blew.

Since, additional wires have come down.

A crew is needed to cut down the tree, and National Grid is being notified.

UPDATE 12:42 p.m.: If there is a power outage in the area as a result of this transformer going out, the information is not yet available.  There is a power outage from this morning in the area, along Byron Road, on each side of Cockram Road, affecting about 19 customers.

It's good news, Bergen Fire Chief Kevin Bruton said this evening after a structure fire at The Firing Pin, 8240 Buffalo Road, that the building was still in tact.

It's even better news that nobody was hurt.

It's not easy heading to a fire, listening to dispatchers report flames showing, for a popular business such as The Firing Pin, which stocks live ammunition.

"It's very difficult to listen to something like that," Bruton said. "People are the biggest priorities, but now they're surrounded by dangerous things that under heat and fire aren't really good to be around."

When Bruton arrived on scene, he learned all occupants exited the building safely.

He could see heavy smoke in the sky as he left the Village of Bergen and immediately requested a second alarm, he said.

The fire seems to have started near the back of the building, in the firing range, Bruton said. The cause is still under investigation.

There was heavy smoke damage throughout the building, including the front retail store.

"Luckily, the fire didn't get down to the walls and take up that whole building," Bruton said. "There is still a lot of smoke damage and I honestly don't know what the inside condition is of that building, so I can't really comment on that."

"Right now, we've got a good portion of it still standing so it's pretty awesome," Bruton said. "Right now everything's under investigation as to what happened, but everybody's safe, and, you know, it's gonna be a long night."

Among the responding departments were Stafford, Town of Batavia, Churchville, and Brockport.

Photos and interview by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service.

The initial report was for involving a room and its contents.

The fire has reportedly spread into the attic.

All occupants are reported to be out of the house.

City Fire responding.  The second and fourth platoons have been recalled.

UPDATE 3:10 a.m.: Fire knocked down, checking for extension.

UPDATE 3:37 a.m. by Joanne Beck: The cause is reportedly unknown at this time, but the fire is believed to have originated outside of the house. The cause is under investigation.

UPDATE 3:53 a.m. (by Howard): National Grid requested to the scene.

Photos by Howard Owens.

A house fire is reported at 878 Gabby Road, Pembroke.

The initial call was for a chimney fire with smoke and flames showing.

Pembroke Fire and Indian Falls Fire responded, and the fire is now reported as contained to the structure adjacent the chimney.

Second alarm can proceed non-emergency.