Advertisement. Advertise with us

CLICK HERE FOR SLIDE SHOW

TOO-HOT FLAMES

REQUIRED AERIAL

Blaze Leaves 11 Laurens Residents Homeless

Chief Justin Hill of the Laurens Fire Department this morning surveys the scene of the Thursday afternoon fire in the Village of Laurens. (Ian Austin/AllOTSEGO.com)

By IAN AUSTIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com

LAURENS – It took off like a house on fire.

“I got called in at 4:30,” Fire Chief Justin Hill recounted today, the morning after flames ripped through a village home at dusk Thursday afternoon.  “I was driving from West Oneonta and I could already see the column of smoke.”

Ten fire departments were called to help battle the blaze that gutted three apartments at 39 Main St., across the street from the fire department.

“The fire started on the second floor in the rear,” said Hill, surveying the smoking ruins. “The layout of the building made it very difficult to attack the fire. We entered through the back door but there was so much fire in the stairs we couldn’t get up them.  That’s when we knew we had to go at it from the exterior.”

The call was put out for the the aerial truck from Oneonta. Power was shut off to most of the village once the aerial arrived so it could safely maneuver over power lines.

Eventually, the fire was so deep inside the house crews could not reach it; with the exterior walls of the building becoming unstable, an excavator from Seward Sand & Gravel was brought in to bring them down, Hill said.

Support crews made sure to keep a nearby kerosene tank and the adjacent building under heavy water to prevent the fire from spreading.  Neighboring 41 Main did receive minor damage and loss of power, but no homes were lost.  Crews cleared from the scene around 11:30 p.m.

While the building is a total loss, the 11 people living there made it out safely with no reported injuries.

Otsego County coordinators from the Office of Emergency Services are looking into the cause the blaze, the worst the village has seen in over a decade. “We had a fire in this building four years ago from a faulty heater in the basement.” said Hill. “But this fire is still under investigation.”

 

 

Posted

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Related Articles

Sports Briefs: September 7, 2023

News Editor Wriley Nelson recaps the first games of the season for local high school and college athletic teams, including wins for the Yellowjackets, Hawkeyes, Mustangs, and Wildcats.…

Fire Destroys Christopher’s Restaurant

FIRE DESTROYS CHRISTOPHER’S Oneonta Landmark Burns Overnight By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com ONEONTA – The Oneonta Fire Department is still on the scene after an early morning blaze destroyed landmark Christopher’s Restaurant on Southside. The call came into the city fire department at 2:20 a.m. and professional firefighters arrived on the scene to find the restaurant fully engulfed.  “It no longer exists,” said fireman Al Sayers Lutz. “It’s been completely destroyed.”…

Car Hits Tractor Trailer; I-88 Closed Between Exit 12/13

Car Strikes Tractor-Trailer; I-88 Shut Between Exit 12/13 ONEONTA – A car swerved to miss hitting a dead deer and ended up hitting a tractor-trailer in an accident on I-88 earlier this morning. Hopefully, they knew the difference between Comprehensive vs Third Party Insurance and picked what was right for their situation. I’ve heard that youi.com.au has some useful information on the topic for those interested. With the eastbound lane of I-88 near Oneonta closed for construction, the westbound lane has been split for traffic. According to state police, a car driving westbound swerved to avoid hitting a deer carcass…

Putting the Community Back Into the Newspaper

Now through March 30, new annual subscribers to “The Freeman’s Journal” and AllOtsego.com (or subscribers who have lapsed for two or more years) have an opportunity to help their choice of one of four Otsego County charitable organizations.

$5.00 of your subscription will be donated to the nonprofit of your choice:

Cooperstown Farmers’ Market, Cooperstown Food Pantry, Greater Oneonta Historical Society or Super Heroes Humane Society.