Newburgh Father’s
Day
Fire
A nice sunny Father’s Day afternoon was
interrupted with an "alarm of fire" call for the City of
Newburgh fire department. Newburgh units were called to a fire
in a home on Grand Street in the city's East end. Arriving units
found a heavy fire load on the second floor, with extension into
the attic and roof area. Assistant Chief Scott Mandoske was the
officer in charge.
A second alarm was immediately called dispatching Orange County
fire coordinator Charlie Piper, Vails Gate Fire Department with
their FAST unit, Middle Hope fire department with and engine,
and Mobile Life Support Ambulance.
The Cornwall Fire departments ladder truck and New Windsor Fire
department with an engine were placed on standby at the Newburgh
main firehouse to cover calls for Newburgh.
The City of Newburgh's first response crew consisted of nine
firefighters. Three each on their Ladder company, and two engine
companies. They had the fire knocked down within twenty minutes.
Just as the Mobile Life Ambulance arrived on the scene, a tenant
came home and collapsed as she watched firefighters battle the
blaze. She was taken to St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital[‘s Newburgh
campus. One firefighter was treated at the scene for minor burns
and was returned to duty. Newburgh's cause and origin team was
dispatched to the scene and the fire is still being
investigated.
The American Red Cross was called to help with accommodations
for the occupants.
-Fire News photos by John Miller
Gas Explosion in
Scarsdale
Recently a gas explosion and fire occurred on
Fayette Road in Scarsdale. Upon arrival Scarsdale Fire Captain
Daniel Purcell found the contractor still operating a backhoe,
ordered work stopped, and the area evacuated. He asked the
operator whether the leak was inside or out. The contractor
replied that it was inside. Captain Purcell evacuated the site
and within moments the house exploded. Career departments
Hartsdale and Eastchester provided mutual aid while career and
volunteers from Scarsdale Fire Department extinguished the
blaze. Chief Thomas Cain assumed Incident Command from Captain
Purcell for this all-hands fire.
-Provided by Albert Mignone, Fire
Inspector
Poughkeepsie
Fire
On Friday evening, June 6, 2008, a bicyclist
rode into the City of Poughkeepsie’s Main Street Fire Station
and reported that a house was on fire on North White Street. At
20:33 hours, City 911 dispatched firefighters for a confirmed
fire with reports of people trapped in a house on North White
Street. Poughkeepsie Car 10 (Shift Commander), Engine 2, and
Ladder 2 were first in and found a heavy fire condition on the
second floor of a two story multi-family wood frame dwelling.
Engine 1, 3, and Ladder 1 were soon to follow, and primary
search for the reportedly trapped occupants was conducted in
parallel to an aggressive interior attack. As firefighters
operated in the building, the fire conditions rapidly
deteriorated as the fire quickly took complete charge of the
structures attic. All members were ordered out of the building,
and the incident was shifted to an offensive operation.
Firefighters quickly regained control of the attic, at which
time they re-entered the building to perform another search and
complete extinguishment of the fire. Both searches were negative
and although crews took a beating, no one was injured.
Poughkeepsie was assisted at the scene by the Fairview F.D.
F.A.S.T. unit, Alamo EMS, and the Arlington and Highland Fire
Departments provided station coverage. The fire was investigated
by the City of Poughkeepsie Police and Fire Departments.
-Fire News
photos by Bill Johnson
Fire at Berry
Brothers Lumber
On June 18, 2008, at
7:32 p.m. Jefferson County Dispatch received a wireless 911 call
reporting a structure fire at the Berry Brothers Lumber Company
on U.S. Route 11 just south of the village of Adams. County Fire
Investigator Jim Wratten, who lives across the road, confirmed a
working fire in the wood processing area. Berry Bros. Lumber
converted a few years ago from a working sawmill to a wood
processing plant, which converts wood and cardboard into bedding
for farm animals and a heavy equipment repair facility. Adams
Chief 1 Stephen Rexford requested mutual aid from Lorraine,
Adams Center, Mannsville Manor, and Belleville Fire Departments.
Adams Engine 2 laid a 1,000 foot five-inch supply line from the
last fire hydrant in the Village and began a deck gun operation
to prevent the fire from spreading to the portion of the
building containing the 650 kva diesel generator which supplies
power to the facility. Due to poor water flow from the dead end
hydrant, additional mutual aid was requested from Smithville,
Town of Watertown, and Ellisburg Departments. Additional mutual
aid was then requested from Rodman, Henderson, Sandy Creek,
Lacona, and Pulaski as fill sites and tanker shuttles were
established on both the north and south sides of the fire. South
Jefferson and Town of Watertown Ambulances treated one
firefighter at the scene for minor injuries and transported one
firefighter to Samaritan Medical Center for minor injuries.
The main building containing the wood processing facility and
heavy equipment repair facility was a wide-open structure of
heavy timber frame construction with steel siding and a steel
roof with light weight wooden trusses. While the building is a
total loss, early defensive deployment of large caliber streams
directly into both the wood processing area and equipment repair
area saved many of the tools and large pieces of equipment. Some
of this equipment is back in operation after replacing hydraulic
hoses. Others should be repaired within a few days and it is
expected that the company will be back in business soon. A wood
frame building where the processed animal bedding was stored
adjacent to the plant was totally consumed by the fire.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation but it is
believed to be accidental.
-Fire News
photos by Robert D. Simpson
Southern Dutchess
Area Fire
On the evening of
Tuesday, June 10, 2008, the New Hamburg Fire Department, Mobile
Life Support Ambulance, and the Village of Wappingers Fire
Department under mutual-aid were dispatched by Dutchess County
911 for a reported structure fire on Swenson Drive off Route 9D.
At the time of dispatch, a severe thunderstorm with heavy rain,
high winds, hail, and frequent lightning was pummeling the
Southern Dutchess area. Upon their arrival, firefighters found
that there were actually two separate structure fires - one at
#11 Swenson, and a second at neighboring #2 Meadow Drive. Both
structures had flames venting from a basement casement window on
their #4 sides with heavy smoke emitting from the rest of the
structures. New Hamburg Car 53-1 (Chief Moore) assumed command
and had first due 53-12 hit the hydrant and take-in #2 Meadow
along with Wappingers Ladder 68-45. New Hamburg 53-11 and
Wappingers Engine 68-12 were ordered to take #11 Swenson. Chief
Moore requested DC911 to dispatch the Hughsonville FD's F.A.S.T.
unit to the scene and in addition requested station coverage
which brought in the Roosevelt FD to cover New Hamburg Station
#1 and the New Hackensack FD to cover station #2. As the severe
weather was presenting many challenges to firefighters,
simultaneous attacks were initiated on both fires. It was
determined that the fires in both structures were natural gas
fed and as a result, Central Hudson Gas and Electric was
requested to the scene with an expedited response. Apparently
lightning struck a nearby tree and the bolt’s energy was carried
by the trees roots to a nearby gas main and the energy proceeded
to ride the gas lines into the basement meters of both
structures, damaging the meters and allowing a now unregulated
and burning natural gas flow to ignite both structures.
Firefighters were able to hold the fire in check until the gas
supply was shut down and then completely extinguish the fires
but not before significant damage was done to both residences.
Firefighters also successfully rescued a dog that was trapped in
#2 Meadow, which in-turn was happily reunited with its owner. In
addition to this incident , there were numerous trees down and
power outages in the area with some locations not getting power
back to the next morning. The Dutchess County Office of
Emergency Response Fire Investigation Division investigated the
incident.
-Fire News
photos by Bill Johnson
Onondaga Hill
Fire
The Onondaga Hill Fire
Department responded to a house fire on Wednesday, June 25,
2008. The fire involved a single family, wood frame, raised
ranch, reported as clothes on fire in the basement near the hot
water heater. Heavy fire and smoke damage to the main floor was
attributed to the close vicinity of an open stairwell. The late
morning weekday fire was under control in 15 minutes with a
great stop by the firefighters from Onondaga Hill, Fairmount,
Taunton, and Solvay under the direction of Onondaga Hill Fire
Chief Dave Okiniewski.
Fire News photos
by Gordy Kotars
