Flames tower into the sky at the fire on North Avon Road last week. Photo courtesy of the Honeoye Falls Fire Department Facebook page
Within the last three weeks, area departments have been called out on house fires which have displaced residents.
On March 8, the home at 29 Maplewood Avenue in the village of Honeoye Falls suffered extensive damage due to a fire that was caused by the windstorm that knocked out power to many residents.
“When the power came back on, it surged and exploded an outlet,” owner Charlie Webster said.
A firefighter on the roof of the house at 29 Maplewood Avenue. Photo courtesy of the HFFD Facebook page.
The fire, which was called in at 7:01 p.m., began in the kitchen of the upstairs back apartment where retired Honeoye Falls-Lima High School art teacher Harold Coogan lived. First-in units from Honeoye Falls reported they had flames showing from the second floor rear window of the home. Firefighters from Rush, Mendon and East Avon were called in to help at the scene and Lima Fire Department filled in at Honeoye Falls’ base to cover any other calls in the Honeoye Falls area. Firefighters had the fire under control in about 20 minutes. No injuries were reported.
Go Fund Me accounts were set up for both the Webster family and Coogan.
“The support from the community has been overwhelming,” Webster said in a phone conversation this weekend. “We have such a wonderful community here and people have offered to help us in many ways. We are very grateful for all the support and help.”
Webster, a graduate of HF-L, said he and his wife Heather and their sons have been told it may not be until December that they will be able to move back into the house.
This past Thursday night (March 23), area departments responded to reports of a house fire at 6693 North Avon Road in the East Avon Fire District at 10:15 p.m. East Avon firefighters reported a working house fire and requested two engines from Rush Fire Department and the FAST team (Firefighter Assist & Search Team) also know as R.I.T. (Rapid Intervention Team) from Honeoye Falls Fire Department. At 10:20 p.m., Lima Fire Department was requested to send one engine and a tanker to the scene. With no water lines in the area, portable ponds were set up first at Oak Openings Road and Routes 5&20 and then a second one on Routes 5&20 at the Avon-Lima town line. The fire reached second alarm status at 10:24 p.m. with requests to Avon Fire Department for an engine and a ladder truck, to Lakeville Fire Department for an engine and a tanker, to Caledonia Fire Department for an engine and a tanker and putting Livonia Fire Department on standby. Command officers requested a third alarm assignment with a tanker from the Hemlock Fire Department, an engine from Livonia and an engine from Geneseo at 10:29 p.m. Scottsville Fire Department, Mumford Fire Department and Mendon Fire Department were requested to send one tanker each to the scene at 10:33 p.m. Mumford sent a rescue truck to fill in at East Avon’s fire hall while Bushnells Basin sent an engine to fill in at the Rush Fire Hall and LeRoy Fire Department filled in at the Caledonia Fire Hall. Henrietta Fire Department and West Bloomfield Fire Departments also filled in for other area departments at the scene.
The house was destroyed by the fire. No one was home at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.
