Hutchins Street

A fire is reported in the back yard of a residence on Hutchins Street in Batavia.

City Fire dispatch as well as Batavia PD.

City Fire is responding non-emergency.

There is a burn ban in effect until May 14.

UPDATE 2:02 p.m.: Fire is out. City Fire back in service.

The house at 43 Hutchins St., Batavia, has been ready for Halloween all month with a quite impressive larger-than-life human skeleton among other decorations.

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:

The death earlier this month of a Hutchins Street resident who was found in his home bleeding -- initial reports said from his neck -- has been ruled accidental, Det. Pat Corona, Batavia PD, said this morning.

Peter Ackley, 55, of 12 Hutchins St., had been released from the hospital March 12, the day before the incident, and had ongoing health issues.

Witnesses said he had been outside his house earlier that day and appeared disoriented and was helped back into his apartment. He was later found by a friend unconscious and bleeding inside his residence.

An autopsy found that ongoing medical problems apparently caused him to collapse. He fell against a household fixture, which caused his wounds.

Ackley was transported by Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital where he later died.

There is no evidence, Corona said, of any foul play.

A 35-year-old Batavia resident is accused of breaking into a home on Porter Avenue on Nov. 18 and stealing video games and a gaming system.

Jailed without bail on a charge of second-degree burglary is Justin C. Smith, of 25 Hutchins St., Batavia.