Skip to main content

fire

Garage fire reported on Herkimer Road, Darien

By Howard B. Owens

A garage fire has been reported at 1210 Herkimer Road, Darien.

Darien Fire with mutual aid from Alexander Fire responding.

A chief on scene reports the garage is fully involved.

The garage is not attached to any other structure.

UPDATE 10:23 p.m.: Fire knocked down.


View Larger Map

Truck reportedly on fire on Tonawanda reservation

By Howard B. Owens

A truck fire has been reported in the area of 271 Council House Road, Basom.

Alabama Fire is responding.

UPDATE 5 p.m.: An Akron firefighter on scene reports the truck is fully involved. He also says the correct address is 7003 Council House Road. An Alabama chief arriving on scene confirms the address.

UPDATE 5:02 p.m.: Alabama chief says units can respond non-emergency. The truck isn't near a building.

UPDATE 5:11 p.m.: All Alabama units are clear.


View Larger Map

Barn built in 1880s on fire in Le Roy

By Billie Owens

A barn built in the 1880s is reportedly on fire at 8283 North Road in the Town of Le Roy.

It is believed to have started by an electrical wire.

Le Roy Fire Department is called, along with mutual aid from Bergen and two tankers from Caledonia.

UPDATE 5:07 p.m.: Now they say fire is out. Calls for mutual aid to Caledonia and Mumford have been cancelled. "Everything's under control," says a chief.

UPDATE 5:11 p.m.: A Bergen ladder truck is asked to continue in nonemergency mode, but its tanker is told to return to quarters. National Grid has been notified but no estimated arrival time given. North Road was to be shut down by fire police, not sure if that's still the case. They are going to look at the structure with a thermal imaging camera.

UPDATE 5:21 p.m.: There are no electrical wires hanging anywhere as far as anyone can tell. The thermal imaging camera shows no hot spots.

UPDATE 5:25 p.m.: Le Roy and Bergen are returning to quarters.

Electrical fire reported in the wall of a house in Corfu

By Howard B. Owens

An electrical fire has been reported at 1806 Indian Falls Road, Corfu.

The fire is reportedly in the wall of the residence.

Indian Falls and East Pembroke Fire dispatched.

UPDATE 9:56 p.m.: When the East Pembroke chief responded, he had Indian Falls standby in quarters. He requested from his own crew a thermal camera. He just released Indian Falls back in service.


View Larger Map

Transformer blows near Clay and Myrtle, Le Roy

By Howard B. Owens

"A squirrel did it," according to a fire chief on scene at Clay and Myrtle in Le Roy.

A caller reported a loud noise and suspected a transformer blew.

There was no sparking, however, though one caller reported a brief power outage.

Le Roy Fire responded and investigated.

No lines down. No fire.

All units back in service.

House fire reportedly put out right after the call is made

By Billie Owens

A house fire was reported at 9503 Clipnock Road in Stafford. All equipment and manpower were called from Bethany and Stafford fire departments.

But as soon as the calls went out, residents called to say the fire is out.

It was in the upper apartment of the house and started by a stove fire.

Bethany is continuing its response non-emergency. Stafford is standing down.


View Larger Map

Brush fire reported on West Bergen Road

By Billie Owens

An "unattended brush fire" is reported off West Bergen Road, south of Dublin Road, in Bergen.

The Bergen Fire Department is responding.

Oakfield man dies in late night fire

By Howard B. Owens

A 48-year-old Oakfield resident died overnight as a result of a fire at 7154 Pine St., Oakfield.

Jeffery D. Repass, a resident at the address, was pronounced dead at the scene following the 12:39 a.m. blaze, which started in a bedroom.

Four other occupants escaped safely.

The house was heavily damaged and the cause of the blaze is under investigation by the Oakfield Fire Department, the Genesee County Sheriff's Office and Genesee County Emergency Management.

Assisting at the scene were the Elba Fire Department, Alabama Fire Department, East Pembroke Fire Department, Mercy EMS and the Genesee County Coroner's Office.

(Initial Report)

Structure fire on Pine Street in Oakfield

By Billie Owens

A structure fire, believed to have begun in a bedroom, is reported at 7154 Pine St. in Oakfield. It's off of Maple Avenue, the last street coming out of the village.

Oakfield, Alabama and Elba fire units are called to respond.

UPDATE 12:56 a.m.: Firefighters are working on extricating people from the building.

UPDATE 12:58 a.m.: An investigator requested to the scene. At least one person is out of the building and requires medical attention.

UPDATE 1:06 a.m.: National Grid notified. No ETA.

UPDATE 1:24 a.m.: Fire's been knocked out.

UPDATE: Further updates on this fire will be available in the morning.

 


View Larger Map

Smell of electrical fire reported in house in Elba

By Billie Owens

The smell of a possible electrical fire is reported at a house located at 30 Chapel St. in Elba.

Elba Fire Department is called to respond.

UPDATE (7 p.m.): Firemen on scene say nothing was found. Elba fire is back in service.


View Larger Map

Stove fire reported at home on Drake Street Road

By Howard B. Owens

A stove fire is being reported at 4325 Drake St. Road, Elba.

Elba and Town of Batavia fire departments are  being dispatched.

UPDATE 12:18 a.m.: Smoke in the residence. Fire was in a self-cleaning oven and it appears to be out. Town of Batavia Engine 24 returning to the station.


View Larger Map

Grassfire reported on Tapp Road

By Billie Owens

A grassfire is reported on Tapp Road, near West Bethany Road.

Bethany Fire Department is responding.

Alexander responding to reported fire in area of Walker Road

By Howard B. Owens

A fire has been reported in the area Walker and Hickox roads, Alexander.

The initial call was for a trailer fire.

First responders believe it's an unattended controlled burn.

Alexander Fire was dispatched. Town of Batavia's Ladder 25 was initially dispatched, but then asked to remain in quarters while the fire was investigated.

UPDATE 8:26 p.m.: Chief reports it's a controlled burn. "It's not going anywhere." All units back in service. The chief requests that a Sheriff's deputy contact the landowner and "advise him it shouldn't be done."


View Larger Map

York Road fire victims victimized again by overnight thieves

By Howard B. Owens

After losing nearly everything in a devastating fire Saturday, Bill Scheg was victimized again sometime early Sunday morning when thieves broke into what was left of his taxidermy and gun shop on York Road.

Compared to the destruction of the log-cabin type house he built himself in Le Roy, Scheg's adjacent shop was relatively untouched by the fire and still contained ammo, arrows, bows and other items.

Deputy John Duyssen said, however, that there was enough damage that it's hard to tell what was taken.

When firefighters arrived at 9616 York Road early this morning to deal with a hot spot in the basement that had rekindled, they found charred wood and shotgun shells strewn in front of the door for Scheg's business, Genesee Valley Taxidermy & Shooting Supplies.

Those items weren't there when they cleared the scene from the initial fire shortly after midnight.

Vandals also knocked over Scheg's mailbox.

"Talk about kicking a man when he's down," said Tim Yaeger, coordinator of Genesee County Emergency Management Services.

Duyssen expressed concerned that ammo from the shop had been heat and water damaged. It could misfire, and seriously injure whoever tries to use it.

Investigators were on scene this morning trying to determine the cause of the fire. 

Yaeger said the cause was apparently accidental and arson has been ruled out, but the exact cause may not be discovered until Monday or later, when investigators can gain access to the electrical panel in the basement.

The insurance company needs to pay for debris removal before investigators can get to the basement.

Meanwhile, friends of Scheg's, such as Richard Barnard pictured below, began the tedious task of recovering Scheg's decades of hunting photos, saving and preserving what they can.

All of Scheg's prized big-game trophies -- Scheg had traveled the world hunting -- were destroyed in the fire.

More pictures after the jump:

Fire alarms in Alexander and Le Roy overnight

By Howard B. Owens

There two fire alarms overnight.

At 3:32 a.m., a garage fire was reported at 10780 Sandpit Road, Alexander. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. It caused an estimated $70,000 damage.

This morning, Le Roy Fire responded to the location of yesterday's fire on York Road for a rekindle.

Owner who built log house loses home to fire in Le Roy

By Howard B. Owens

UPDATED 11:01 p.m.

Thirty-five years ago, William Scheg built himself a dream home -- doing most of the work himself.

Out among the flat farm fields and game-rich woods of rural eastern Genesee County, Scheg build a log-cabin construction home where he would eventually open a business -- Genesee Valley Taxidermy & Shooting Supplies.

Late Saturday afternoon, Scheg was in the woods near his York Road home when a fire started in the garage.

"I heard some shots and I thought it was the neighbors target practicing," Scheg said. "Then I heard more shots and the whole woods filled up with smoke. I kind of got this empty feeling in me and thought what might be happening. I got the road and saw the inevitable. It was all on fire."

By that time, firefighters from several companies were on scene and the house was fully engulfed.

The fire was initially reported at 4:50 p.m. by Frank Capuano, a retired city firefighter who was driving down York Road and spotted smoke coming from the garage of 9616 York Road, Le Roy. Upon further investigation, he confirmed the fire and called 9-1-1.

Just five minutes earlier another man on his way to work as a clerk at a gas station on Route 5 drove by the same house -- which he knows because he's known Scheg since the clerk was a little boy -- and he didn't see a thing.

The fire was well advanced by the time crews from Le Roy Fire arrived on scene and it spread quickly as crews struggled to get a reliable source of water to fight the fire.

Tanker trucks were sent to the nearest fire hydrant, at Route 5 and York Road, two miles to the north, where they could fill up and shuttle water to the scene. Water was also drawn from the pond on the property.

Assistant Fire Chief Thomas "Woody" Woods said water supply was the biggest problem firefighters faced in battling the blaze.

There was some concern about the ammo in the gun shop when crews first arrived.

"You could hear the popping from the ammo going off, so we kept back," Woods said.

According to property tax records, the home was valued at $168,900, and was 2,070 square feet on 1.22 acres.

Scheg lived in the home with his wife Margaret. She was also out of the house at the time of the fire. Their dogs were able to get out of the house before the fire trapped them and were taken in by a neighbor. The Schegs also had some pet birds who perished in the fire.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

As of 11 p.m., some fire crews were still on scene, though some crews were back in service.

Responding to the fire were Le Roy, Pavilion, Caledonia, York, Stafford, Bergen, and Le Roy Ambulance, Genesee County Emergency Management and the Sheriff's Office. The Town of Batavia Fire Department filled in at Le Roy's fire hall.

More pictures after the jump:

Reader Photos: York Road fire

By Howard B. Owens

Here are two photos submitted by readers on the fire on York Road. We'll have more photos and full coverage later tonight.

UPDATE: More photos after the jump, submitted by retired city firefighter Frank Capuano, initially reported the fire after seeing smoke coming from the garage.

Fully involved house fire on York Road, Le Roy

By Billie Owens

A fully involved structure fire is reported at 9616 York Road in Le Roy.

The property includes a house, garage and workshop.

Le Roy, Pavilion, Stafford, Bergen and York fire departments are called to respond.

There is said to be a lot of animals in the vicinity. A nearby natural pond may be used to help put out the flames.

Fire police have shut down traffic at Harris and York roads.

UPDATE (6:03 p.m.): A fire chief at the scene says "the family is staging at Kelly Harold's. If anyone's trying to reach the family, they will be there."

Authentically Local