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Structure fire reported on Perry Road, Pavilion

By Howard B. Owens

A structure fire is reported at 915 Perry Road, Pavilion.

Pavilion Fire dispatched. 

A second alarm is called with Bethany, Le Roy, Stafford, and the City's FAST Team requested to the scene.

UPDATE 6:11 p.m.: The Pavilion chief on scene cancels the second alarm.  "We believe we have it knocked down," he tells dispatchers. All other responding units can stand down.

Cardboard boxes on fire at Koolatron in Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

A cardboard box fire was reported at Koolatron, 4330 Commerce Drive, Batavia, shortly after 7 p.m.

Town of Batavia Fire was dispatched.

Multiple employees reported boxes on fire and a dispatcher could hear the building's alarm sounding in the background.

The building was evacuated. The sprinklers were activated.

Elba Fire dispatched mutual aid.

City Fire asked to cover Town of Batavia calls, if any.

UPDATE 8:20 p.m.: Stafford and East Pembroke asked to have crews standby in quarters.

Fire extinguished at auto auction business in Bergen

By Joanne Beck

A fire that involved several vehicles Saturday afternoon on Appletree Avenue was "under control fairly quickly, especially with the wind we had today," Bergen Fire Department reports.

The fire was reported to be at Insurance Auto Auction, 7149 Appletree Ave., Bergen.  

Responding fire departments included Bergen, Le Roy, Churchville and Byron. The International Association of Arson Investigators became involved with the incident.

"IAA management was on scene minutes after the 911 call was received, and worked with our department to form a game plan," Bergen Fire Department said. "They assisted us with anything we needed and provided two loaders to move vehicles. There were no EV cars involved in the fire. Thank you for everyone’s support and kind words, all first responders returned home safely."

House Fire reported on Cockram Road

By Howard B. Owens

Byron and South Byron are on scene of a house fire at 6451 Cockram Road, Byron.

The fire was at the back of the residence and reported knocked down at this time.

The call began with a report of heavy smoke in the basement.

Bergen Fire on standby in its hall.

UPDATE 8:53 a.m.: The fire is out. National Grid requested the scene. A code enforcement officer requested to the scene. The house may be uninhabitable.

Train fire reported in Bethany

By Howard B. Owens

A train fire is reported off Silver Road in Bethany.

Bethany Fire, with mutual aid from Alexander, dispatched.

UPDATE 6:56 p.m.: Silver Road is blocked off to traffic. Fire is out, according to dispatch.

Fire reported in parking lot of Tim Horton's, Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

An unknown type of fire next to a vehicle in the parking lot of Tim Horton's in the City of Batavia has been reported by law enforcement.

City Fire dispatched.

UPDATE 10:33 p.m.: The transmission of City Fire reporting what it found was garbled, and City Fire is back in service.

Investigators believe they know where fire at Baskin Livestock started, just not why

By Howard B. Owens

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There is no definitive cause that fire investigators have determined for the fire Sunday at Baskin Livestock, 9778 Creek Road, Batavia., said Tim Yaeger, Genesee County emergency management coordinator.

Yaeger said the origin appears to be in a bay area of the facility where paper -- typically paper that contained waste food items being converted at the factory into cattle feed -- is stored prior to shipment to a landfill. 

If that is the origin of the fire, what could possibly have caused the ignition of the fire is undetermined at this time.  There is no obvious ignition source.

There were no employees in the building at the time of the fire, Yaeger said.

Because Baskin Livestock is self-insured, fire investigators are unlikely to return to the scene for further investigation unless requested by the company, Yaeger said.

There is a fire suppression system installed in the building, Yaeger said, and Baskin Livestock is going to investigate to try and determine why is seems to have malfunctioned.

Photos by Howard Owens

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No injuries, two dogs rescued but house total loss in morning fire

By Howard B. Owens

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Fire investigators believe, preliminarily, that a malfunction in a furnace at 8920 Batavia Stafford Townline Road is the source of a fire that destroyed the home this morning.

The structure was fully involved before firefighters were dispatched shortly before 8:40 a.m.

"(The furnace is) propane-powered and forced hot air," said Tim Yaeger, Genesee County Emergency Management Coordinator. "(The homeowner) had left to go and give assignments to her crews for the business that they run here. When they came back, she said she smelled something funny, something hot, and one of her employees saw smoke exiting from the garage. They entered the garage, opened the door into the house and there was heavy black smoke in the house itself. So right now we're leaning towards, based on an investigation, preliminarily, we're looking at the furnace that may have had a malfunction."

Nobody was injured as a result of the fire and an employee reportedly rescued two dogs from inside the house.

The initial dispatch for the fire reported that two people had entered the house and may be trapped but when a Stafford assistant chief was first on scene, he informed dispatchers that both people were out of the house and that it was believed nobody was in the house at that point.

Town of Batavia Chief Chris Strathearn said the heavy, tall column of black smoke from the fire was visible well before he arrived on scene. He called for a second alarm.

Companies dispatched included Town of Batavia, City Fire, Stafford, Le Roy, and Alexander's FAST Team. Mercy EMS, Sheriff's Office, and State Police assisted at the scene.

The ranch-style home was built in 2016 and is owned by William and Stacy Corcoran. The 2,387-square-foot house sits on a 3.7-acre parcel. The Corcorans also own other adjoining farm property. 

Photos by Howard Owens. For more photos, click here.

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House fire reported on Batavia Stafford Townline Road

By Howard B. Owens

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A house fire is reported at 8920 Batavia Stafford Townline Road, Batavia.

Town of Batavia Fire dispatched.

UPDATE 8:34 a.m.: There was initially a report that two people had re-entered the house and were entrapped.  They are now reported out of the house.  There was also an explosion reported not attached to the structure.  A second alarm is requested.

UPDATED 9:20 a.m.: The fire has been knocked down.

UPDATE 11:05 a.m.: Batavia Stafford Townline Road has been reopened.

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Photos by Howard Owens.

Barn fire reported at Baskin Livestock

By Howard B. Owens

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A barn fire with flames showing is reported at Baskin Livestock, 9778 Creek Road, Batavia.

Bethany, Alexander, Town of Batavia dispatched.

Second alarm, Stafford, Pavilion, Le Roy, and City of Batavia FAST Team dispatched.

Photo by Howard Owens.

Fire reported on Platt Street, Le Roy

By Howard B. Owens

A fire is reported at 3 Platt St., Le Roy.

All occupants are being shown out of the structure.

Le Roy Fire and Le Roy Ambulance dispatched.

UPDATE 11:44 p.m.: It's a stove fire.

UPDATE 11:49 p.m.: City Fire requested mutual aid.

UPDATE 11:53 p.m.: Le Roy Fire on scene.  Fan needed on second floor for ventilation.  

UPDATE 11:56 p.m.: City's First Platoon recalled to headquarters while City Fire responds to stove fire in Le Roy.

It appears fire stopped in historic structure on Washington Avenue before it was destroyed

By Howard B. Owens
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City Fire responded to a report of a structure fire at 101 Washington Ave., Batavia, and upon arrival found smoke and flames coming out of the south side of the building.

The Victorian-era house has served as the office of Dr. Vladimir Frias for the past seven years, and before that, it was Present Tense Books, and before that, a photography studio.

The office was closed today but Frias stopped by this afternoon and found the fire.

"When I came into the office, I saw the smoke and called 911. There was smoke and there was fire, and I called 911 right away, and then they were here. I came in from the back, the fire seemed like it came in from the middle ... this is terrible," he said. "I love this building too, it's a historic landmark. It's not just a building to us."

Fire Chief Daniel Herberger said he doesn't believe the building is a total loss and may be able to be restored.  There is heavy fire damage in the reception area and heavy smoke damage throughout the building.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The house was built in 1874.

Previously: Structure fire reported on Washington Avenue, Batavia

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Two photos above are by Marc Johnson, whose office, Millennium Computers, is on the other side of Washington Avenue.

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Structure fire reported on Washington Avenue, Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

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A structure fire is reported at 101 Washington Ave., Batavia.

The building has been evacuated.

City Fire dispatched.

UPDATED 1:58 p.m.: The building houses the dentistry practice of Dr. Vladimir Frias, and he was at the scene during the fire rescue. The site was formerly Present Tense book store, which had been there for eight years, and Frias moved in and renovated it for his dental services nearly seven years ago. 

"When I came into the office, I saw the smoke and called 911. There was smoke and there was fire, and I called 911 right away, and then they were here. I came in from the back, the fire seemed like it came in from the middle ... this is terrible," he said. "I love this building too, it's a historic landmark. It's not just a building to us."

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Top photo: Reader submitted. Above, by Howard Owens.

Phone charging on bed likely cause of fire on Big Tree Road, Pavilion

By Howard B. Owens

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A mobile phone left on a bed charging is the suspected cause, at least at the preliminary stage of the investigation, of a fire at 6979 Big Tree Road, Pavilion, this evening.

The fire was called in at 7:03 p.m., according to Tim Yaeger, emergency management coordinator.

It appears to have started in a second-floor bedroom and residents told investigators that a phone was left on the bed plugged into a charger. A 13-year-old resident smelled the smoke and found the fire.  He alerted his father and they shoved the mattress out the window but the fire spread quickly anyway.

"How the fire progressed inside the building, we don't know yet because we still need to investigate and then go from there," Yaeger said. "It's kind of early yet."

All residents of the two-unit apartment building escaped safely.  There were no injuries reported.

There were one adult and two children residing in each of the apartments.  

It was unclear earlier this evening if the structure is a total loss, but it was heavily damaged on both floors with obvious heavy flame damage in the front of the second floor.

Pavilion, Le Roy, and Stafford were dispatched on the first alarm.  The second alarm included the City of Batavia FAST Team, but that crew was soon pressed into firefighting duties so Alexander's FAST Team was dispatched.

FAST stands for Firefighter Assist and Search Team.

"They're there to be the rescue team for firefighters," Yaeger said. "So if a firefighter gets trapped, disoriented, runs out of air, something happens to either a firefighter or a team of firefighters, that's what that team is there for."

Also responding to the fire, Bethany, Caledonia, Perry Center, Wyoming, Mercy EMS and the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, along with Emergency Management. 

A large response was needed, Yaeger said, because of a shortage of manpower.

To volunteer with your local fire department, visit ReadyGenesee.com.

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Photos by Howard Owens.

Apartment fire reported on Big Tree Road, Pavilion

By Howard B. Owens

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An apartment fire is reported at 6979 Big Tree Road, Pavilion.

A caller reports everybody is out of the two residences.

The second floor is reportedly involved.

Pavilion, Le Roy, and Stafford dispatched on the first alarm.  A second alarm is called with City Fire's Fast Team, Bethany, and Mercy EMS.

Fully involved mobile home fire reported on Swamp Road, Byron

By Howard B. Owens

A fully involved mobile home fire is reported at 6972 Swamp Road, Byron.

The caller doesn't believe anybody is at home.  No cars in the driveway.

Byron, South Byron dispatched.  

The chief has requested a second alarm.  

Bergen, Elba, Oakfield, Stafford, and City of Batavia's Fast Team dispatched for the second alarm.

UPDATE 11:39 p.m.: Barre and Brockport were being dispatched to provide tankers but the chief on scene said the tankers can be canceled and requests a fill-in at the Byron Fire Hall.

UPDATE 12:05 a.m.: Stafford is filling in at Byron's hall.  Le Roy is going to fill in at South Byron's hall. The fire has been knocked down.  National Grid requested to the scene.

UPDATE 12:07 a.m.: A fire investigator requested to the scene.

 

Abandoned house fire reported in Pavilion

By Howard B. Owens

A structure fire is reported at 10805 South Street Road, Pavilion.

The structure is an abandoned house.

The initial call, from a passerby, was for a rubbish fire in the roadway at that location and that trees were on fire.

Pavilion Fire dispatched with mutual aid from Bethany, Stafford, and Perry Center.

Demolished mobile home reportedly on fire in Bethany

By Howard B. Owens

A mobile home that was torn down is now reportedly on fire at Clipknock Road and Torrey Road, Bethany.

There is no exposure to other structures.

Bethany Fire and Stafford Fire dispatched.

UPDATE 11:34 p.m.: A first responder reports no smoke or fire. "The trailer is completely gone. There's a dumpster. There's no fire at all."  Both assignments can go back in service.  The "fire" was reported by a passerby.

UPDATE 11:42 p.m.: Now Bethany and Stafford are dispatched to 9525 Clipknock Road for the report of an unattended controlled burn, a brush fire.

Lithium battery blamed for small fire at Red Roof Inn, one minor injury reported

By Howard B. Owens

A lithium battery is the likely cause of a small fire in a hotel room at the Red Roof Inn on Park Road in Batavia, according to a release from the Town of Batavia Fire Department.

The town was dispatched on an alarm of fire at 9:30 p.m., Wednesday, and hotel staff confirmed a short time later that there was a fire in a guest room.

The hotel was evacuated.

The fire, contained to a small corner of the room, was put out with an extinguisher and the structure was ventilated. Guests were allowed to return to their rooms a short time later.

A hotel guest sustained a minor burn on a foot and was transported by Mercy EMS to an area hospital for treatment.

According to the Department, the cause of the fire was a lithium-ion battery from a remote control car that overheated while being charged.

The Sheriff's Office assisted at the scene.

Multiple departments responded to wheat field fire on Brown Road, East Pembroke

By Howard B. Owens

A wheat field fire was reported at 2:12 p.m. at 2281 Brown Road, East Pembroke, in a back field.

East Pembroke Fire responded. 

The chief requested Elba's utility transport vehicle and Alexander's UTV, because they have pumps on them, to the scene.  Alexander Fire, Indian Falls, Alabama, and Darien Fire also dispatched. Alden Fire, which was on scene at the Darien accident, volunteered to bring their UTV to the fire and was dispatched.  Crittenden Fire was also dispatched.

Town of Batavia Fire was placed on standby in quarters.  A Mercy EMS basic life support unit was requested to the scene.

The fire was reported out at about 3:10 p.m.

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