fire

Pavilion fire is on scene of a field fire in the area of 7364 Dillon Road, Pavilion.

It was apparently a controlled burn that got out of control and was reported to be about 50 yards from a structure.

A chief reports that it hasn't gotten into the nearby woods.

Another chief said that once crews are on scene with brooms, it should be easy to knock down.

UPDATE 10:46 a.m.: A chief reports fire is definitely out and he's walking the perimeter of the whole area to ensure it's out.

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By all accounts at the fire scene today, Speedy Greco was quite a character -- he sold cars and Airstream trailers, collected antiques and raced cars.

He also had a bit of money and built himself one heck of a sturdy building at 1606 Broadway, Darien.

That strong construction made it difficult for firefighters from Darien, Corfu, Town of Batavia, Alden, Bethany, Attica, East Pembroke and Bennington to fight a fire that had climbed into the roof of Speedy's former car dealership.

The wood on the roof was at least four inches thick, possibly six inches in some places. That made it hard to vent the roof and get water onto hot spots.

The building, now owned by M & M Fabricating, Inc., was heavily damaged as a result.

M & M is a metal fabrication business.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

There were no reported injuries. The fire was reported at 2:45 p.m.

Assisting at the scene were the Sheriff's Office, City of Batavia's Fast Team, Mercy EMS and Genesee Emergency Management.

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A working fire is reported at M&M Fabricating at 1606 Broadway Road (Route 20) in Darien. There are multiple hazards on the site of this commercial building, including a number of propane tanks which some neighbors report have exploded. The fire has already gone through the roof of the building. Darien Fire Department is responding along with mutual aid from Corfu and Alden.

UPDATE 2:50 p.m.: Mercy medics are heading to the scene in case they are needed. The location is west of Colby Road. The fire has gone to a second alarm. There have been multiple 9-1-1 calls reporting this incident.

UPDATE 2:52 p.m.: Alexander is called in along with the city's Fast Team.

UPDATE 2:56 p.m.: Fire police are told to shut down westbound traffic at routes 20 and 238.

UPDATE 3 p.m.: At the fire scene itself, Route 20 is shut down in both directions.

UPDATE 3:07 p.m.: Bennington is sending in a truck. National Grid is notified.

UPDATE 3:24 p.m.: A ladder truck from the Town of Batavia Fire Department is called to provide mutual aid.

UPDATE 3:36 p.m.: All interior crews are ordered out of the building. Sheriff's deputies are on scene, too.

UPDATE 3:35 p.m.: National Grid is on scene.

UPDATE 3:46 p.m.: Wyoming Correctional Facility inmates are enlisted to help out.

UPDATE 7:02 p.m.: Town of Batavia Fire returning, back in service.

UPDATE 8:04 p.m.: A backhoe is being brought in to start peeling back the metal roof on the building, "not to knock it in," a chief says. Monroe County Water Authority requested to the scene to shut off water to the building.

UPDATE 9:10: p.m.: Westbound Route 20 is open.

UPDATE 9:39 p.m.: Route 20 opened in both directions.

UPDATE 9:42 p.m.: All units back in service.

A vacant house is fully engulfed in flames at 4973 Hundredmark Road, Elba, and a second fire has been sparked about 50 yards into the woods.

An Oakfield chief came across the fire and reported it.

Elba Fire Department is responding with mutual aid from Barre.

UPDATE 7:18 p.m.: Elba chief reports fire knocked down.

UPDATE 7:19 p.m.: Oakfield requested to fill in at Elba's hall.

UPDATE 8:37 p.m.: Elba back in service.

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An electrical outlet is smoking and on fire inside Picasso's Pizza, located at 419 W. Main St. City Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 7:31 p.m.: Firefighters on scene report nothing visible from outside the business.

UPDATE 7:41 p.m.: City assignment back in servcie.

The cab of a tractor-trailer was reportedly on fire in the eastbound lane of the Thruway at mile marker 394.0 and East Pembroke Fire Department is being dispatched. Subsequently, it was reported that it may be a tire on the rig that is burning and that the vehicle may still be moving.

UPDATE 1:03 p.m.: Firefighters checked the area, but found no smoking big rig. "It must've rolled out of the district."

A car is on fire next to a residence at 8850 Hartshorn Road. East Pembroke Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 2:43 p.m.: A responder reports the car fire is fully involved.

UPDATE 3:05 p.m.: Fire is out.

Brenden Carney awoke early this morning to the sound of somebody banging on the back door. It didn't take him long to figure out what was going on.

"I knew right away the barn was on fire and I started checking the house because I could feel the heat," Carney said.

A passing trucker spotted the fire and stopped and alerted Carney and his family. 

The alert truck driver and prevailing winds blowing east helped protect the house and Carney's wife, daughter and two dogs, who all got out of the house safely.  The house was not damaged.

The fire was reported just before 3 a.m. at 4658 Telephone Road, Bethany.  Bethany fire along with Alexander, Darien, Attica, Pavilion, Town of Batavia, Bennington, Wyoming and City of Batavia's Fast Team all responded. Stafford provided fill in at Bethany's Hall.

The response was fast, but the barn was already gone by the time the first fire chiefs arrived on scene.

"The structure was full involved when we arrived," said John Szymkowiak, 2nd assistant chief for Bethany fire. "There was nothing there but the frame."

The Carney family lost a barn they had fully restored and turned into a rec room along with a lot of personal belongings.

"We lost a lot of equipment," Carney said. "Ski boat, sail boat, snowmobiles, tractors, you name it. Compressors. Generators. All my hunting equipment. Fishing. I made my own handmade rods. Shotguns."

There was a two-year-old roof on the barn, new cabinets and Corian counters inside.

"It was nice," he said. "There were a lot of memories and a lot of work done to it, too."

Carney was thankful his family was safe, but he was also grateful to the truck driver, who also saved Carney's work truck.

"The keys were in it," Carney said. "He said it was too close, gotta leave it, and I said leave it, leave it, but he jumped in and moved it out. All of my work tools are in there."

Water had to be trucked in since there are no fire hydrants in that area, which created a water supply problem, Szymkowiak said, but there was a good coordinated response from the mutual aid companies, he said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

As of 7 a.m., many of the mutual aid companies had returned to service, but Bethany fire remained on scene.

UPDATE 7:32 a.m.: Bethany fire is back in service. Route 20 is reopened.

(Initial Report)

The second alarm is called for a fully involved barn fire in Bethany at 4658 Route 20, just west of Francis Road. A deputy there reports black smoke billowing from the barn. The road will be shut down. The Bethany chief is on scene and all equipment from his department is called in.

Mutual aid is requested from Darien, Alexander, Attica, Town of Batavia, the city's Fast Team, and the Village of Wyoming. Stafford is called to stand by in Bethany's fire hall. The city's first platoon is called to stand by in headquarters.

The occupants are out of the house. Power is shut off in the barn. Vehicles have been removed from the property. The propane tank is also shut off.

UPDATE 3:34 a.m.: Westbound Route 20 is shut down at Texaco Town (the junction of routes 63 and 20).

UPDATE 4:01 a.m.: Command reports the fire is under control.

UPDATE 4:45 a.m.: The town and city units from Batavia have returned to quarters. Wyoming responders are released.

UPDATE 6:39 a.m. (by Howard): For the past 45 minutes or so, mutual aid departments have been going back in service. Bethany remains on scene. Photo: Reader submitted photo.

UPDATED 7:56 a.m.

A man house sitting for a hospitalized friend at a residence known to neighbors as "the old school house" at 11030 Sandpit Road, Alexander, died Sunday evening after a fire broke out near the front of the building.

The victim has been identified as Scott A. Cramer, 47, of 11000 Sandpit Road, Alexander.

Investigators have determined the likely cause of the fire was electrical.

Cramer was found about 15 feet inside the doorway, which was initially blocked by flames. Once the fire was knocked down and the safety of the crew assured, firefighters were able to enter the residence to look for Cramer.

The Sheriff's Office reports that Cramer was pronounced dead at UMMC.

The fire was reported by neighbors and a member of the Alexander Volunteer Fire Department, who spotted flames coming from the front of the house as he drove past.

Both the neighbor and the firefighter attempted to locate the man inside, but he did not respond to calls and the flames were already blocking the entrance.

"I was hollering," Grant Whitmore said. "I couldn't get anything from the front door, so I went to the back of the house. There was a screen there and I was hollering, but I didn't hear anything."

Whitmore said there was a fire extinguisher near the front entrance of the house, which he tried using, but it proved ineffective against the size of fire that had already developed.

Tim Yaeger, emergency management coordinator for Genesee County, said there was only one way in or out of the residence and that was the front door.

Firefighters first knocked down the flames, but then entry was delayed because the area above the entrance was used for storage. There was a TV and filing cabinet in the space and fire crews were concerned about the soundness of the structure at that point.

"They were concerned about their safety, being trapped in there, so they had to make sure it was safe," Yaeger said.

Once found, Cramer was immediately taken out and brought to a Mercy EMS ambulance and transported to UMMC. Medics attempted CPR on Cramer from the time he was brought out of the residence and during his transport to the hospital.

The man was house sitting, watching over the property and taking care of the pets, while the homeowner is hospitalized at UMMC, Whitmore and Yaeger said.

There's no word on the fate of the pets.

The property owner is listed on county records as Joseph Snyder. The structure was built in 1850. The front of the structure, a later add-on, was heavily damaged in the fire.

Whitmore said Cramer had been house sitting for a week, possibly two, and that he often attended church with Whitmore and another friend. 

Fire investigators were working late into the night trying to determine the cause of the fire.

Along with Alexander Fire, Bethany, Darien and Attica fire departments responded to the scene. Town of Batavia's ladder truck was dispatched, but stayed at Alexander's fire hall on standby.

The Sheriff's Office is assisting in the fire investigation.

NOTE: We'll update this story with more information once it's released by the Sheriff's Office.

A working house fire is reported at 11030 Sandpit Road. Alexander and Darien fire departments are responding, and Town of Batavia and Attica are called for mutual aid. The location is said to be at or near "the old school house." Law enforcement on scene reports the propane tanks are shut off but the blaze "is really cooking." They have not yet determined if the occupant(s) are out. They are embarking on a search.

UPDATE 10:22 p.m.: The power company is called to the scene.

UPDATE 10:24 p.m.: National Grid is advised, no ETA given.

UPDATE 10:25 p.m.: A patient has been located.

UPDATE 10:42 p.m.: At least one patient suffered multiple burns and CPR is in progress. Possibly another patient is en route to an area hospital.

UPDATE 10:44 p.m.: The firefighters are now focusing on rehabing the structure. themselves as need be.

UPDATE 10:48 p.m.: One person is at UMMC, transported by Alexander #10.

UPDATE 10:51 p.m.: Bethany firefighters have also assisted on this call.

UPDATE 11:03 p.m.: National Grid has a 20-minute ETA.

UPDATE 11:09 p.m.: Alexander #10 is returning to the scene. The sole victim was not the homeowner but a male house sitter.

UPDATE 11:14 p.m.: The Town of Batavia assignment is back in service.

UPDATE 11:17 p.m.: Mercy Medics who responded are told to go back in service.

UPDATE 11:21 p.m.: The power company is on scene.

UPDATE 12:07 p.m.: The sole victim transported to UMMC subsequently died, according to Tim Yaeger, Genesee County Emergency Management coordinator. More T/K.

UPDATE 1:52 a.m.: All Alexander units back in service.

A barn fire is reported at 1880 Sharrick Road in Darien. The location is between Harper and Colby roads. Darien fire and Mercy medics are responding, along with mutual aid from Corfu fire.

UPDATE 4:04 p.m.: First responders report heavy smoke is showing.

UPDATE 4:07 p.m.: This is a confirmed working structure fire.

UPDATE 4:09 p.m.: A tanker from Alden is responding.

UPDATE 4:19 p.m.: "Fire knocked down. Checking for extentions."

A chimney fire is reported at 5092 Barrville Road, Elba.

Elba Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 8:44 p.m.: Chief on scene reports heavy smoke from the chimney.

UPDATE 8:46 p.m.: A tanker from Barre is in route. A chief says, (I think he said), "We've got 'charring' on the wall."

UPDATE 8:56 p.m.: Oakfield requested to fill in at Elba's hall.

UPDATE 9:06 p.m.: Town of Batavia's ladder truck requested to the scene.

UPDATE 10:30 p.m.: The roadway will reopen in five minutes.

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A possible house fire is reported at 5969 Oak Orchard Road in Elba. It's near Hundredmark Road. Elba fire is responding. The call came through Orleans County Emergency Dispatch Center, which noted that several 9-1-1 hang-up calls plotted in the area and then a young child reported that the house was on fire.

UPDATE 5:40 p.m.: A firefighter in the area reports nothing showing. Units can continue in non-emergency and Elba #1 is on scene.

UPDATE 5:42 p.m.: Barre, which had a tanker on the road to the scene, is cancelled. The emergency call was made by a 6-year-old boy.

UPDATE 5:47 p.m.: One of the Elba units is returning to quarters.

Bergen and Le Roy fire crews responded to a barn fire in Riga this morning. WHAM 13 reports 56 sheep died in the fire.

We didn't cover this initially because it is in Monroe County, but as it turns out, the location is actually in Bergen's fire district.

WHAM 13 had a crew on scene, so we would anticipate more coverage from the news station later today.

Smoke is reportedly coming from an electrical box on a building at Woodstock Gardens, 219 N. Spruce St., Batavia.

City fire is responding.

UPDATE 4:41 p.m.: City fire back in service.

A family with four children lost their home this morning to fire after one of the children apparently knocked over a kerosene heater on the first floor.

The structure was not insured.

The father, Jesse Rosenbaum, suffered a minor back injury from jumping from the second floor. He was transported to UMMC for evaluation.

Before jumping, Rosenbaum lowered the four children from the roof over the front porch, helping them reach the ground safely.

None of the children were injured.

After the fire started, the children apparently ran from the first floor to the second floor. Investigators are unsure why the children went to the second floor rather than exit the house, but once they did, egress through the first floor was blocked by the fire.

The situation could have been much worse, said Pavilion Chief Paul Dougherty.

"They were very lucky to get out given that they ran to the second floor first," Dougherty said. "They could have easily been trapped on the second floor."

An instinct of young children, Dougherty said, is to run to a bedroom, where they think they will be safe.

The fire was reported at 10:10 a.m., when a passerby spotted flames and smoke. The initial emergency call went to Livingston County dispatchers.

The location, 8029 Telephone Road (Route 20) is less than a half mile from the county line.

The kerosene-fueled fire spread quickly and there was no hope of saving the structure by the time firefighters arrived.

“By the time we got here, fire was coming out almost every door and window, top and bottom floor," Dougherty said.

There was no attempt to fight the fire from the inside give how quickly the fire spread and that the first chiefs on scene were told everybody got out of the structure safely.

"Had somebody reported that there were still people inside that would have changed our thinking," Dougherty said. "Because this was not a life-threatening situation, and because the fire is already coming out to us, it kind of dictated an exterior attack."

Later in the fire, after firefighters were mainly dealing with smoldering hot spots, water supply became an issue. Pumper trucks were picking up water from a hydrant at Asbury Road, but the water pressure was low for some reason, even after Monroe County Water Authority was notified of the fire in progress.

The blaze was knocked down pretty quickly by Pavilion's engine, which has a brand-new compressor system to allow firefighters to use foam instead of water to fight a fire.

The foam doesn't evaporate as quickly as water and penetrates wood better, making for faster fire suppression.

The compressor just went into service Saturday.

"The foam system multiplies the capacity of the truck and we're able to get a much quicker knock down with a lot less water," Dougherty said.

Also responding to the fire were Le Roy, Bethany, South Byron, Stafford, Alexander, York and Caledonia with Bergen on standby. The Sheriff's Office, State Police, Mercy EMS and Genesee County Emergency Services provided scene support. City of Batavia's FAST Team also responded.

UPDATE: A little more information, and different information from a press release just put out by the Sheriff's Office. The press release says all four children were upstairs with Rosenbaum, age 26, when a 3-year-old went downstairs and discovered the fire. The home's owner is Teresa Martinez. She said the heater was operating when she left for work at 6:30 a.m.

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A house fire has been reported at 8029 Telephone Road (Route 20), Pavilion.

The call initially came in through Livingston County.

A resident reportedly has a back injury.

Pavilion Fire Department with mutual aid from Le Roy, Alexander and neighboring counties requested along with City of Batavia FAST Team.

UPDATE 10:26 a.m. (updates by Billie): Asbury and Linwood roads are being shut down at Telephone. Caledonia is called to provide mutual aid and stand by in Le Roy's fire hall.

UPDATE 10:30 a.m.: Mercy Medic 1 has arrived to care for the patient. Caledonia is also called for all available equipment and manpower. York is called and Engine 5 from Wyoming County.

UPDATE 10:41 a.m.: The American Red Cross is being notified that aid will be needed for the residents.

UPDATE 10:49 a.m.: Bergen is standing by in its quarters and Mumford is standing by in Le Roy's hall. National Grid is on its way to the scene. The Red Cross will be advised that the residents are one adult and four children.

UPDATE 11:03 a.m.: National Grid is on scene. Fire command says "Let's cut a hole and get this thing ventilated." They're going to cut a hole in the roof to get the heat out and fight the fire on the second floor.

UPDATE 11:14 a.m.: A relative is said to be coming to the scene to take the children elsewhere.

UPDATE 11:18 a.m.: The firefighters will soon assemble at fire command so everyone can be accounted for. Operations at this point are at a standstill. Overhaul is the next step.

UPDATE 11:24 a.m.: Everyone is asked to come away from the structure immediately. Fire command is informed that there are no explosives or ammunition inside the house. But there are sounds of something popping inside.

UPDATE 11:32 a.m.: Bergen was released from standby in its quarters awhile ago.

UPDATE 11:36 a.m.: Overhaul is under way. They are dousing hot spots.

UPDATE 11:39 a.m.: A firefighter tells command he thinks "the popping sounds are just the house settling."

UPDATE 11:41 a.m.: The Red Cross representatives are going to the scene and from there will go to the hospital where the injured person was taken, not sure which hospital.

UPDATE 11:45 a.m.: According to the fire commander, all occupants are accounted for and safe. The fire is believed to have started when a child accidentally knocked over a kerosene heater on the first floor. The father got the kids out of a window on the second floor, then jumped out, injuring his back.

UPDATE 11:56 a.m.: "We've got an excavator coming that's going to tear (the structure) down and rip it apart."

UPDATE 12:04 p.m.: Wyoming County Correctional Facility is asked to send prisoners to the scene to help out. The Le Roy Fire Auxiliary is called to provide refreshments.

UPDATE 12:24 p.m.: Help from the correctional facility will not be needed and the request is cancelled.

UPDATE: Photos submitted by Julie Matusak:

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Black smoke is reported coming from a Dumpster at the Quality Inn, 8200 Park Road, Batavia.

Town of Batavia fire responding.

A chief on scene confirms smoke from the Dumpster. It's about 50 feet from the building.

UPDATE 4:40 p.m.: Town of Batavia back in service.

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An electrical fire is reported at Denny's Restaurant, 364 W. Main St., Batavia.

City fire is responding.

UPDATE 7:43 a.m.: City fire on scene, nothing showing. National Grid requested to the scene.

UPDATE 7:45 a.m.: City command: "We still have fire box, we're going to need them here as quick as they can." National Grid's been advised.

UPDATE 7:51 a.m.: Health Department requested to the scene.

UPDATE 7:59 a.m.: National Grid on scene.

UPDATE 8:11 a.m.: City code enforcement requested to the scene.

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