Stories from

A possible grass fire in two spots is reported in the woods off westbound Route 490 in the area of mile marker 0.9. Bergen and Le Roy fire departments are called to investigate.

UPDATE 12:23 p.m.: Firefighters found five or six large controlled burns. The farmer had notified the Emergency Dispatch Center beforehand about the planned burns. However, authorities decided because of their location, they should be looked at for safety reasons. The responders are back in service. And the property owner, who is actually on Lake Street Road, is "highly agitated" with the situation.

Le Roy Police are responding to a report of a driver of a ride-on lawn mower consuming an open container of alcohol near the junction of Maple Avenue and North Street.

UPDATE, Friday, 9:55 a.m.: (by Howard): The driver was issued a citation for an alleged violation of the open container law. No further details available at this time.

A woman is sitting roadside on Snipery Road and bleeding severely after being attacked by a dog, which is now inside a house. Corfu Fire Department and law enforcement are on scene. Medics are responding. She has bites on her arms and legs. The location is north of the railroad tracks by the bend.

UPDATE 7:23 p.m.: The woman is being transported by ambulance to UMMC for treatment of her wounds.

UPDATE 7:24 p.m.: Corfu is back in service.

UPDATE 7:41 p.m.: The medic informs emergency room staff that the woman is 40 years old and has lacerations on her right thigh, hip and forearm.

A truck struck a pole in the area of 11117 Alleghany Road in Darien. There are no injuries, but the pole is down and there is "a quantity" of live wires in the roadway. Darien Fire Department is responding as are Sheriff's deputies. The truck is stopped. One lane of Traffic is blocked. The location is near O'Connor Road.

UPDATE 11:18 a.m.: The road is completely blocked and will be shut down for quite some time until the live wires can be cleared off. "A full crew" from National Grid is required.

UPDATE 11:21 a.m.: A responder says there are two poles down, one on each side of the road.

UPDATE 11:29 p.m.: A commerical tow is called for the truck, which is carrying an oversized load of cargo. The accident site is near the Wyoming County line.

UPDATE 11:38 a.m.: Passenger vehicles will be allowed to travel on O'Connor Road, but commericial traffic will be rerouted. Wyoming County is dispatching personnel to handle it.

UPDATE 12:03 p.m.: National Grid is now on location. The truck has valid New Jersey plates.

UPDATE 12:12 p.m.: Traffic on Alleghany Road is being allowed to pass the truck now.

UPDATE 12:47 p.m.: The road is reopened and Darien is back in service.

A juvenile male has reportedly fallen over Old Buttermilk Falls. The caller was panicked and told dispatch the youth didn't seem conscious and then the caller couldn't see him anymore. Le Roy police, Le Roy Fire Department and medics are responding.

UPDATE 7:02 p.m.: A responder sees the victim, 30-feet downstream "on the west (rock face) wall." He has a gash in his head and appears to be severely injured. They are calling the swift water rope rescue team to the scene.

UPDATE 7:06 p.m.: Mercy Flight is put on standby. The victim is in a deep ravine and may be difficult to reach.

UPDATE 7:11 p.m.: They are going to start clearing a path in the brush so the rope rescue team can access the location of the victim. There is another person standing by the victim attempting to help rescuers. Mercy Flight 5 out of Batavia has an eight-minute ETA.

UPDATE 7:13 p.m.: Everything has to be "trucked into the area." They have the person who is with the victim on 9-1-1 dispatch and they have his number so they can get information about the victim as the rescue proceeds.

UPDATE 7:16 p.m.: The person with the victim reports he is conscious and alert and has several gashes in his head. He was unconscious for about four minutes.

UPDATE 7:19 p.m.: The victim is sitting upright and is wearing dark clothing. Old Buttermilk Falls is located on Oatka Creek at the bend of North Street Road, just east of Route 19 going out of the Village of Le Roy. It is a natural cascade that is 4-feet-tall and lies just above a crescent-shaped manmade dam. Oatka Creek itself is 15-feet high and 196-feet wide.

UPDATE 7:22 p.m.: Mercy Flight will land in the roadway but can expect to wait a while until the individual can be extricated from the scene and transported.

UPDATE 7:24 p.m.: Bergen Fire Department is called to the scene, nonemergency response, to provide manpower. Pavilion is called to stand by in Le Roy's fire hall. Mercy Flight has landed. The victim is no longer in the water. He is sitting on a ledge.

UPDATE 7:29 p.m.: A property owner there tells dispatch he has an ATV with a trailer and a path to the base of the falls if those are needed to help rescue the victim.

UPDATE 7:41 p.m.: A chief at the scene calls for nighttime preparations so they can maintain effectiveness if they must remain there after sunset.

UPDATE 7:45 p.m.: The media staging area is set up at the "Dump Road" and Route 19.

UPDATE 8:33 p.m.: "The first victim has been brought to the top," says a responder to dispatch. The second victim, presumably, is the person who has been by the young male's side since the incident began unfolding -- but no word on his status yet.

UPDATE 8:38 p.m.: The primary victim is said to be uncooperative with the rescuers and assistance is required (not uncommon with head-trauma patients).

UPDATE 9:11 p.m.: The second, and last, victim has been brought to the surface.

UPDATE 9:18 p.m.: Mercy Flight has been put back in service. The victim(s) will be transported via ground ambulance.

UPDATE 9:29 p.m.: The responders are packing up their gear and preparing to leave. A press conference will take place shortly.

UPDATE 9:41 p.m.: Responders are packing up and preparing to leave. Mercy medics are transporting to Strong Memorial Hospital.

UPDATE 10:03 p.m.: All responders are back in service.

A motor-vehicle accident is reported by Wendy's restaurant off Main Street. There are no injuries, but it is completely blocking traffic. Police are on scene.

A 10-year-old child is being taken to UMMC after reportedly inhaling cinnamon. The child lives in Attica and an ambulance from there is meeting up with Mercy medics, who will make the drive to the hospital on North Street in the City of Batavia.

UPDATE 6:58 p.m.: The child inhaled a small amount of cinnamon (either a teaspoon or a tablespoon) on a dare. Inhalers were then used but there was still difficulty breathing. The child is resting comfortably and will arrive at UMMC shortly.

A house fire is reported in Pavilion at 11039 River Road. Fire departments from Pavilion, Stafford, Bethany are responding along with the city's Fast Team. Le Roy firefighters will stand in at Pavilion's hall. A lot of smoke is showing. The location is off Route 63.

UPDATE 5:23 p.m.: More help is on the way from Alexander, Lester, York, Perry, Perry Center and Wyoming.

UPDATE 5:28 p.m.: Fire police from Le Roy are called to the scene for traffic control. Medics are also called, including some from Livingston County. The home is unoccupied.

UPDATE 5:36 p.m.: National Grid is called. Firefighters are trying to shut off the natural gas line now. Several minutes ago, a person described as the homeowner was said to be running up to the house on foot.

UPDATE 5:38 p.m.: At least a portion of the fire has been knocked down.

UPDATE 5:46 p.m.: As firefighters continue to battle the blaze, they are also on the scout for two cats and one kitten that live inside the house.

UPDATE 5:48 p.m.: One of the cats was seen running from the scene and the homeowner has been told this.

UPDATE 5:52 p.m.: With the exception of medics, all responders from Wyoming and Livingston counties are put back in service.

UPDATE 5:53 p.m.: The fire is out. Crews are outside the structure now, rehabing the scene. Alexander and York are also put back in service. Investigators can start their investigation.

UPDATE 6 p.m.: Stafford and Perry are released from the scene. The American Red Cross is called to provide assistance to the residents.

UPDATE 6:04 p.m.: As for the cats, one remains unaccounted for, one is hiding under the house and refuses to be coaxed out. One was rescued after it scampered away from the tumult.

UPDATE 6:08 p.m.: National Grid is on location to shut off the power.

UPDATE 7:35 p.m.: Pavilion back in service.

An injury accident is reported at Ross and East Main streets in the City of Batavia. City fire and Mercy medics are responding.

A man reportedly fell from a seventh-story window at 400 Towers, located at 400 E. Main St. in the City of Batavia. The patient is on the ground, unresponsive. City Fire Department, police and Mercy EMS are responding.

UPDATE 3:03 p.m.: City fire is back in service. A person on the outside who saw the man fall is being interviewed by authorities. The man who fell has no identification on him. The window screen was not removed, rather, it tore open when he fell.

UPDATE 4:29 p.m.: The victim of the fatal fall has been identified by police as William Hastings. He lived at 400 Towers and was born in 1960.

Press release:

City Manager Jason Molino announced his appointment of Shawn Heubusch as the chief of police for the City of Batavia. Chief Heubusch was selected following a nationwide recruitment process.

Chief Heubusch is a 15-year veteran and current assistant chief of police for the Warsaw Police Department. He graduated from the Rural Police Training Institute at Genesee Community College in 1997, and served as a police officer for seven years prior to becoming the assistant chief in 2004.

City Manager Jason Molino said, “Chief Heubusch brings a fresh perspective of leadership and experience to the department and the community. I look forward to working with him in the future as we have many challenges ahead of us.”

“I would like to sincerely thank Chief Randy Baker for his commitment to the City of Batavia for over 34 years. I’ve come to know Randy well over the past four years as both a friend and colleague, and have the utmost respect and appreciation for what Randy has accomplished for the City of Batavia and police department. I will truly miss his character and desire to serve the community and the officers of the police department.”

Chief Heubusch and his wife, Danielle, have two sons and one daughter: Skyelar, age 20, Preston, age 10 and Reagan, age 7. Chief Heubusch currently lives in Warsaw, but will be relocating to area in the upcoming months.

Chief Heubusch will begin June 18 and his starting annual salary will be $70,271.

The city manager encourages all our citizens to celebrate this appointment and welcome Chief Heubusch to his new position.

A garage fire, with heavy smoke showing, is reported at 33 Pearl St. City fire is responding. It's now a second alarm.

UPDATE 1:42 p.m.: A responder on scene says the fire is fully involved. There are no people inside. There is some fire exposure to an adjacent structure. Alexander's Fast Team is called to the scene and the Town of Batavia will send a fire crew to fill in at the city station. Two mercy rigs are called in case needed.

UPDATE 1:45 p.m.: Now they are saying people are believed to be still inside the structure on the second floor.

UPDATE 1:49 p.m.: Elba's "Cascade" is called to the scene.

UPDATE 1:50 p.m.: The fire has spread to the house. The location is between Franklin Street and Brooklyn Avenue.

UPDATE 1:53 p.m.: The fire inside has been knocked down.

UPDATE 1:54 p.m.: A truck at the site is also on fire.

UPDATE 2:05 p.m.: They've confirmed that there's no one inside the structure. National Grid is called to the scene.

UPDATE 2:09 p.m.: They checked for extension into the small attic. There is smoke and heat, but no flames.

UPDATE 2:16 p.m.: The Salvation Army is called to provide cold drinks at the scene.

UPDATE 2:22 p.m.: Power to the structure has been disconnected. The American Red Cross is called to provide housing for five adults.

UPDATE 2:28 p.m.: City command reports that the fire is under control.

UUPDATE 2:41 p.m.: Three cats and one puppy are unaccounted for. The three cats lived in the downstairs unit and the puppy lived in the upper apartment, where the fire extension occurred.

UPDATE 2:58 p.m.: The cats are actually kittens, and two of the three have been rescued.

UPDATE 3:07 p.m.: All three cats have been rescued -- only two were kittens. No word still on the pup.

UPDATE 3:16 p.m.: Residents of the building say more than five people lived there. They say five lived upstairs, three lived downstairs and two in the basement. The fire started in the garage. Two people are being interviewed at the police station.

UPDATE 3:27 p.m.: Town of Batavia and Elba are back in service, and so is East Pembroke, which filled in at the town's station.

UPDATE 4:03 p.m. (by Howard): As of about 20 minutes ago, the puppy had not been located. It's a 10-week-old chihuahua.

UPDATE 4:16 p.m. (by Howard): City building inspector requested to the scene.

UPDATE 4:25 p.m.: Ladder 15 and Engine 12 are back in service. Others from city station remain at the scene to continue their investigation. The code enforcement officer is there. Regretably, the puppy was found. He didn't make it.

A bicyclist is in the roadway, unknown reason, at 1655 Lewiston Road. Alabama fire and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 7:52 p.m.: Mercy is put back in service. 

A car and motorcycle collided at the intersection of routes 77 and 33. The motorcyclist is still in the roadway. Corfu Fire Department and two Mercy medic units are responding.

UPDATE 7:58 p.m.: A Mercy ambulance is transporting one patient to Erie County Medical Center.

UPDATE 8:07 p.m.: A second patient is transported to ECMC. Three people at the scene were sign-offs. Corfu is back in service.

A small brush fire is reported off the eastbound lanes of Route 490. Bergen Fire Department is on scene but since it's determined to be in Churchville's district, that fire department is handling it.

The Notre Dame Girls Softball Team has won the New York state championship.