A possible house fire is reported at 8757 S. Lake Road, Corfu.
Pembroke and Indian Falls dispatched. One tanker from East Pembroke requested to the scene. Mercy EMS also dispatched.
There is light smoke showing, according to the first chief on scene.
UPDATE 6:02 p.m.: The fire started in the bathroom and has spread into the ceiling. A second alarm is sounded. (And just as we write this, a chief says the fire is out, second alarm can respond non-emergency. City Fast Team canceled.)
UPDATE 6:06 p.m.: Alabama to fill in at Indian Falls. Darien and Corfu requested to the scene non-emergency. South Lake at Route 5 being shut down.
UPDATE 6:43 p.m.: Responders can go back in service.
The first part of the old farmhouse at 7694 Batavia Stafford Townline Road was built before the Civil War. Today, all of those years became ashes in a controlled burn conducted by the Town of Batavia Fire Department that capped a morning training session at the structure.
Firefighters showed up at the former Dorman family farmhouse early this morning and conducted several interior firefighting exercises.
Town of Batavia Fire First Assistant Chief Nathan Fix said some of the fires really got going, and all were knocked down by interior firefighters in training.
"We had fireman who got to see real fire in real conditions for the first time," Fix said. "We had at least 10 firefighters here who never experienced real fire, real heat, before."
Volunteers from Batavia as well as Bethany, Byron, Bergen, Corfu, South Byron, Oakfield and Elba all participated in the morning exercises.
Bergen's ladder truck was then set up in position to help contain the anticipated inferno, as well as a handful of charged fire hoses, then using road flares, Fix set the structure on fire.
Once the house was ablaze, the firefighters were give a chance to do something that never happens at a real fire scene -- pose for a group photo in front of the burning building.
It took more than an hour for the structure to be completely consumed.
Mark Hare, who was about 5 when his family moved into the house in 2000, made a video of the destruction of his childhood home while his mother, Dawn Hare, looked on. Andy Hare, a retired city firefighter, is in Georgia and couldn't be here for the fire. The Hares' daughter is also out of town.
The Hares built a new home on the hill behind the old farmhouse two years ago, and it's now for sale.
Dawn said the whole family was sad to see the old house go, but it had to be done. The structure had numerous deficiencies and had deteriorated beyond repair. Even when the Hares lived in it, there was no heat on the second floor, the kitchen sink backed up every winter and the electric was out of date.
Fix said it took him six months of work to get all of the proper permissions to burn down the structure, including insurance letters, letters from every utility company that ever serviced the house, the Hares themselves and the DEC.
Since all of the proper paperwork was only recently completed, and it's the onset of winter, the fire department decided to do all of its training and the final bonfire in a single day.
If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here.
There are 10 black and white photos in the slide show. They were shot with a Nikon F4 and Illford XP2 film.
A fully involved house fire is reported at 5 Myrtle St. in Le Roy. Heavy smoke and flames showing. There are still people inside the house -- entrapment. Le Roy fire is responding along with mutual aid from Caledonia.
UPDATE 2:19 p.m.: It is believed everyone is out of the house. Bergen and Pavilion are also responding. The address is between Clay and Bank streets. Le Roy medics are on scene.
UPDATE 2:25 p.m.: Town of Batavia's Fast Team is called in and National Grid is notified about the fire.
UPDATE 2:26: "It looks like they've got it knocked down."
UPDATE 2:28 p.m.: They are going to bring in fans to clear the smoke. National Grid has no ETA.
UPDATE 2:31 p.m.: Stafford is standing by in Stafford's quarters, in case needed for any other Le Roy incident. Firefighters on Myrtle Street are taking out their tools for overhaul.
UPDATE 2:34 p.m.: "It looks pretty clear on the second floor."
UPDATE 2:37 p.m.: They are asking the Town of Batavia to go back in service. Fire is out. Doing overhaul.
UPDATE 2:43 p.m.: Caledonia is released from the scene.
UPDATE (by Howard): At the time I left the scene, about 3 p.m., the cause of the fire was under investigation. Chief Tom Woods said when he arrived on scene, there were flames showing in the back of the structure and two people were partially out of a window. It's a little unclear, but apparently they had tried to put the fire out and thought the fire was out. Investigators had not yet completed interviews with them. Woods told the people to get out of the building and they did. Crews were quick the scene and interior firefighters made entry and knocked the fire down before it could do serious damage. A neighbor called the fire in, not the residents. Woods said that if the fire had been going five more minutes before fire crews arrived the whole structure would have been lost and it would have been a difficult fire to fight because of how close together units are on Myrtle.
A small grass fire was reported in Kibbe Park and city firefighters are on scene. It was seen behind the pavilion. A fire chief requested police to respond. The park is located at the end of Kibbe Avenue, off Oakland Avenue.
Last night, another fire like this was reported in Kibbe Park, not far from today's blaze.
A structure fire is reported at the Plum Creek Driving Range, 5141 Batavia Elba Townline Road, Batavia.
Elba fire was initially dispatched and it's now gone to a second alarm, with East Pembroke, Byron, Bergen, Alexander and the city's Fast Team among units dispatched.
UPDATE 3:58 p.m.: Elba crews had the fire out by the time most of second-alarm companies were arriving on scene. The blaze started with a Gator-type vehicle in a work shed. Also responding were Town of Batavia, Oakfield and Bethany.
UPDATE 4:20 p.m.: Elba and all other units back in service.
A field fire is report in the area of North Pembroke and Galloway roads. Smoke is showing. "It's in the middle of a field. I'm not sure how we're going to get to it," says a responder on scene. East Pembroke Fire Department is responding and Alabama and Town of Batavia are providing mutual aid.
UPDATE 2:25 p.m.: The property owner is on scene and says he's burning some brush from a hedgerow. Alabama and Town of Batavia are back in service. East Pembroke will handle the assignment as need be.
A controlled burn at 9870 Perry Road "is no longer a controlled burn. It's a field fire moving toward the woods," according to an emergency dispatcher. Pavilion Fire Department is called. The location is between Black Street Road and Cole Road.
UPDATE 4:01 p.m.: "A call back from the resident indicates the fire is now mostly under control."
A working car fire is reported, with flames showing underneath it, on the westbound 490. Le Roy and Bergen fire crews are responding. It's at mile marker 2.
UPDATE 5:15 p.m.: Foam will be used to douse the fire. Bergen is continuing to the scene. Le Roy is put back in service.
Approximately three acres in Bethany of trees and leaves were burned Monday night after flames jumped out of a controlled burn and raced along the hillsides of a resident's property.
A resident was burning leaves, according to Jim Bouton, with Genesee Emergency Services, which ignited leaves he didn't intend to burn. The fire, pushed on by gusting winds, spread quickly north and east.
Bethany Fire Department was initially dispatched at 3:50 p.m. to 10689 Bethany Center Road. Also responding were Alexander, Bethany, Stafford, Town of Batavia and Wyoming.
Crews were on scene for three hours.
No structures were damaged. Crews were able to keep the fire away from most of a private campground and picnic area, which included a travel trailer and pavilion. They also prevented the fire from spreading into a ravine.
There's a report of a portion of woods on fire in the area of 10689 Bethany Center Road, Bethany.
Bethany Fire Department dispatched.
UPDATE 4:09 p.m.: Mutual aid is called from Wyoming County, Pavilion, Stafford and Alexander, plus a crew from the Town of Batavia is asked to stand by in quarters. A chief at the scene said "We've got a pretty good large area burning. It's not going anywhere but it's going to take awhile to put it out."
UPDATE 4:18 p.m.: A tanker from the Town of Batavia is requested. One company is bringing its Gator. The fire is getting bigger. "It's spreading pretty rapidly."
UPDATE 4:27 p.m. They are going to begin drawing from ponds, one from on property just north of the incident. There's a bridge which would provide access for equipment to fight the fire from another angle, but it is not strong enough for the tankers or brush trucks to cross. The northern border of the fire is near Route 20 and it's moving rapidly in a toward the Wyoming County border. They are calling for foot crews and hand equipment.
UPDATE 4:42 p.m.: Fire command says the eastern flank is nearly knocked down. They want crews to focus on the west side. They want to stop the fire "from going over the hill."
UPDATE 4:47 p.m.: The backside of the blaze is out and they will employ "Indian guns" to put out the hot spots. They will continue to focus on the west side.
UPDATE 4:49 p.m.: "The fire is out except for hotspots. A couple of us will stay back here until we can knock down the hotspots." Although another firefighter says there is still some advancing. A tanker from Town of Batavia is asked to stand by in Bethany's quarters.
UPDATE 6 p.m.: Fire under control, some units starting to break down.
UPDATE 6:47 p.m. Bethany and Stafford back in service.
