The cause of a fire that destroyed a house in Alabama where an elderly man was living has yet to be determined.
The fire at 8006 Alleghany Road, Indian Falls, was called in shortly after 5 p.m. with smoke and flames showing from the back of the residence.
Pembroke Chief Jamie Waff said dispatchers received several calls reporting flames showing, so the fire immediately went to a second alarm with Town of Batavia, Darien, Corfu and Alabama joining Pembroke, Indian Falls and the Town of Batavia's Fast Team joining the initial response. East Pembroke, Akron, Newstead and Oakfield were also toned out later.
"With manpower issues during the day, right at five, along with the fire, we went right to a second alarm for manpower," Waff said.
The wind from the southwest quickly pushed the fire from the rear of the house to the front.
The resident reportedly kept a lot of items in the house and the first firefighters in found the back of the second floor piled with garbage bags filled with stuff, so the firefighters were initially pulled out until the situation could be better assessed for their safety.
The resident, who was outside when firefighters arrived, was placed in a patrol vehicle after deputies arrived on scene so he could stay warm. The deputy requested a medic to check him for possible smoke inhalation.
There was a dog and some cats inside the residence, but Waff didn't know the status of the animals at the time we talked.
