Flying J

Amber M. King of Rochester was quite impressed by how well the management of Dennys at the Flying J in Pembroke treated stranded motorist during the blizzard on Friday and Saturday.

"I was stranded there for two days after trying to get back to Rochester," she told The Batavian in an email. "There were more than 150 people sitting inside at any given time from New Hampshire, Nova Scotia, Toronto,  Queens, Pennsylvania and many other locations. They provided us with a place to eat, stay warm, to close our eyes for a bit or use the bathroom.

"The staff at both places busted their butts to help in any way they could, but mostly to keep us safe."

She said many in the group tried to repay the kindness by helping with dishes, clearing tables, taking out trash and keeping the coffee flowing.

"I'm grateful to them all; many of us are," she said.

She sent us the info so the staff could receive a public "thank you." 

"A few of their names are Juanita, Jenni, Johnny from Denny's and Todd at the Flying J, Nikki and all the other crew," she said. "They kept the pumps cleared so we could always get gas to keep cars running so we could sleep. The sidewalks cleared so we could get in and out. They were even pet-friendly so the doggies wouldn't freeze. There were maybe 10 employees running the whole place, and they did a great job."

Submitted photos.

A 50- to 60-gallon fuel spill is reported in the northwest corner of the Flying-J parking lot.

Pembroke fire and Indian Falls fire dispatched.

City of Batavia Fast Team and Mercy EMS dispatched.

City Engine 11 responding on a "slow roll" since there's no fire.

UPDATE 9:41 p.m.: Engine 11 back in service.

UPDATE 10:37 p.m.: Pembroke and Indian Falls are back in service.

Health Alert

The Genesee County Health Department is alerting the public to possible COVID-19 exposures at the Le Roy Moose Lodge and the Flying J Travel Center in Pembroke. Contact tracing is in progress; however unidentified individuals may have unknowingly been in contact with the positive cases.

Le Roy Moose Lodge:

• Monday, Nov. 16th between the hours of 8 and 10 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 20th between the hour of 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 21st between the hours of 4 and 7 p.m.

Flying J Travel Center:

• Tuesday, Nov 17th between the hours of 3 and 10 p.m.
• Wednesday, Nov. 18th between the hours of 3 and 11 p.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 19th between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

We advise all individuals who were at the Le Roy Moose Lodge or the Flying J Travel Center on the stated dates and times to monitor their symptoms for 14 days.

If symptoms of COVID-19 develop, contact your primary care provider to seek testing immediately and self-isolate until you receive your test results.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include but are not limited to: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea.

For more information please visit: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home

A physical altercation is reported in the front parking lot of the Flying J Travel Center, 8484 Alleghany Road, Pembroke. Law enforcement is called to respond.

A clerk subsequently reported one subject, believed to be the victim, driving a Perry's Ice Cream truck, had left the front lot and was driving elsewhere on the premises.

An operator(s) of a red Volvo "Two Brothers" truck was reportedly the aggressor -- "ninja kicking" the operator of the Perry's vehicle at the time of the call.

An odor of fuel is reported in the building of the Flying J travel plaza in Pembroke.

The building was supposed to be evacuated, but a chief on scene reports the building is not evacuated.

Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments responding.

UPDATE 7:41 a.m.: Newstead fire requested to the scene to help with roof access.

UPDATE 7:41 a.m.: Code enforcement also requested to the scene. Building is evacuated.

UPDATE 7:50 a.m.: Units on the road can continue response, all others can remain in quarters.

UPDATE 7:53 a.m.: A chief reports no issues found. No sign of fire. He suspects diesel fuel getting sucked in by vents was the cause.

Photos and information from Alecia Kaus/Video News Service.

A woman from out of the area died today after being struck by a box truck pulling in for diesel gas at the Flying J off Route 77 in Pembroke.

The woman had apparently just left the restaurant at the travel plaza and was heading back to her truck when she was hit.

She was traveling with her husband, who was not injured.

The box truck is from Aberstar Freight.

The driver apparently did not see the woman.

She was pronounced dead at the scene by a county coroner. 

Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments were dispatched at about 12:15 p.m. with a report of a woman struck by a vehicle who was unconscious. Mercy Flight was put on ground standby, but never dispatched. Dispatchers were told that Mercy Flight wouldn't be needed, once a chief arrived on scene.

UPDATE: The deceased is identified as Carolyn V. Baltzell, 61, of Hot Springs, Ark. The driver is identified as Serge Guindon, 56, of Dorval, Quebec, who was driving a 2012 Peterbuilt box truck. The investigation is on going, but not charges are pending at this time. The investigation is being handled by Deputy Joseph Corona, Deputy Dana Richardson, Sgt. James Meier and Investigator William Ferrando.

By the time fire crews from Indian Falls and Pembroke arrived on scene of a truck fire this afternoon, the tractor, but not the trailer, was fully engulfed in flames.

Firefighters quickly noticed a placard on the trailer warning that it hauled an oxidizer chemical and notified dispatchers. Genesee County's hazmat team was dispatched to the fire location -- the Flying J off the Thruway at Route 77 in Pembroke.

While it took firefighters from Indian Falls, Pembroke, East Pembroke and Corfu nearly an hour to battle the blaze, they did manage to contain most of the fire to the tractor, according Tom Yaeger, emergency management coordinator for Genesee County.

The fire was initially reported at 1:22 p.m..

The fire did extend into the trailer, the but it was kept well away from the hazardous chemical, Yaeger said.

The chemical was potassium nitrate. The chemical has a wide variety of uses, including fertilizer and fireworks. At one time it was used as a food preservative for meats.  In this case, it was stored in a small electrical component, Yaeger said, and did not spill or leak.

Still, it was a good thing the hazmat team was already in place because more than 240 gallons of diesel fuel leaked into the Flying J's drainage system.

The system, Yaeger said, is designed to contain such spills and none of the fuel went beyond the Flying J property. Most of it wound up in a containment pond, where hazmat crews were able to soak up most of the diesel.

At 4:30 p.m., Yaeger and his team, as well as Pembroke's fire crews, were still on scene awaiting the arrival of a private company to finish the clean up.

There were no injuries in the fire or as a result of the spill or the emergency efforts.

Route 77 was shut down for a couple of hours as a result of the incident.

The tractor is described by a Sheriff's Office report as a 2006 Volvo Tractor, owned by Homes Freight, Inc., out of Ontario, Calif. The tractor was a total loss.

Previously: Fire involving chemicals at Flying J

NOTE: If any of the firefighters who responded happened to take pictures, we would be happy to share them with readers.

A 20-year-old motorcycle rider from Basom is in serious condition at Erie County Medical Center following an accident at the Flying J truck stop last night.

Elias P. Seward, who resides at 812 Gorton Road, Basom, was transported by Life Flight to ECMC, where he is now in ICU. Information on the exact nature of his injuries is not available.

The accident occurred last night about 7:30.

The driver of a truck, Joel S. Fitzgerald, 66, of 9330 Horseshoe Island Road, Clay, told investigator Deputy T.G. Westcott that he was heading south on Route 77 in the passing lane attempting to make a right hand turn into the Flying J. Westcott's report states, "Operator of vehicle #1 (Fitzgerald) stated he only saw a light as he turned and didn't see vehicle #2 (Seward) in the driving lane.

Fitzgerald was pulling a house trailer. The trailer struck Seward and dragged him approximately 40 feet, pinning him under the trailer at the entrance to Flying J.