From the Lockport Union Sun and Journal....
GASPORT: Fire destroys home
By April Amadon
No one was injured in a blaze that destroyed a Main Street home, but two dogs reportedly perished, and the house, itself, was deemed a total loss. The two-story home was fully engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived about 3 p.m. Niagara County Sheriff’s Sgt. Greg Schuey said dispatch received several 911 calls about flames coming from the home. Fire crews from Gasport, South Lockport, Terry’s Corners and Middleport
responded to the scene to fight the blaze, which soon engulfed the whole house. No one was inside when the fire broke out, but South Lockport Fire Chief Jim Clewell said there were two dogs in crates upstairs. Schuey said both dogs were deceased. There were also cats in the home, Schuey said, but he did not know how many. The homeowner had left the house about an hour before the fire broke out, he said.
Neighbors gathered outside to watch the flames. Smoke could be seen for miles away, and fire police closed off the nearby intersection with Route 31 as firefighters worked for more than an hour. Royalton-Hartland High School student Zach Bright, 18, lives just around the corner and saw the flames as his school bus pulled onto Main Street.“It was, like, right when the fire started,” he said. “The smoke was just coming out.” About the same time, another bus was dropping off 11-year-old Tyler Harrington, a student at Royalton-Hartland Middle School. He said his bus driver got on the radio with the school district and told them to call 911.Tyler stood on the side of the road, watching the firefighters spray water into the billowing smoke. “It looks bad,” he said. “I feel bad for the animals.”
An estimated cost of damages was not yet available. The Niagara County Origin and Cause Team is investigating the cause of the fire. Schuey said this is the third house fire he has responded to in a week. Although he could not speculate on the cause of this fire, he said winter is a prime time for house fires to break out because of problems with heating systems. “Obviously, people need to heat up, so they’re using fireplaces, space heaters,” he said. “It increases the risk of fire in the house.”
GASPORT: Fire destroys home
By April Amadon
No one was injured in a blaze that destroyed a Main Street home, but two dogs reportedly perished, and the house, itself, was deemed a total loss. The two-story home was fully engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived about 3 p.m. Niagara County Sheriff’s Sgt. Greg Schuey said dispatch received several 911 calls about flames coming from the home. Fire crews from Gasport, South Lockport, Terry’s Corners and Middleport
responded to the scene to fight the blaze, which soon engulfed the whole house. No one was inside when the fire broke out, but South Lockport Fire Chief Jim Clewell said there were two dogs in crates upstairs. Schuey said both dogs were deceased. There were also cats in the home, Schuey said, but he did not know how many. The homeowner had left the house about an hour before the fire broke out, he said.Neighbors gathered outside to watch the flames. Smoke could be seen for miles away, and fire police closed off the nearby intersection with Route 31 as firefighters worked for more than an hour. Royalton-Hartland High School student Zach Bright, 18, lives just around the corner and saw the flames as his school bus pulled onto Main Street.“It was, like, right when the fire started,” he said. “The smoke was just coming out.” About the same time, another bus was dropping off 11-year-old Tyler Harrington, a student at Royalton-Hartland Middle School. He said his bus driver got on the radio with the school district and told them to call 911.Tyler stood on the side of the road, watching the firefighters spray water into the billowing smoke. “It looks bad,” he said. “I feel bad for the animals.”
An estimated cost of damages was not yet available. The Niagara County Origin and Cause Team is investigating the cause of the fire. Schuey said this is the third house fire he has responded to in a week. Although he could not speculate on the cause of this fire, he said winter is a prime time for house fires to break out because of problems with heating systems. “Obviously, people need to heat up, so they’re using fireplaces, space heaters,” he said. “It increases the risk of fire in the house.”
