byron

A barking dog alerted a 13-year-old boy and his sister to a fire in his home late this morning in Byron, allowing them both to get out of the house safely before the entire structure burst into flames.

Byron Fire Chief John Durand said the house was already fully involved and a total loss before the first fire truck arrived.

"It had a big head start on us," Durand said.

The house is located at 6137 Merrill Road and is owned by William R. Causyn. His daughter, Heidi, and son, Tyler Walls, were in the house when the fire started.

"They heard the dog bark and then saw fire and smoke inside the laundry room," Durand said. "They called 911 and got out of the house."

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

About dozen fire companies from Genesee, Monroe, Orleans and Livingston counties responded to the scene. The large response was necessary in part because the house is not on a street with a hydrant system, so tanker trucks were needed to shuttle water to the fire.

Upon arriving at the scene, Bergen's Deputy Chief Paul Cummings (pictured, right) acted quickly to disconnect the house's propane tank and roll it away safely from the residence.

Cummings works for Suburban Propane.

"I wouldn't just have anybody do it, but I knew he knew what he was doing," Durand said.

As for Cummings' bit of heroics, Genesee County Emergency Coordinator Tim Yaeger said, "That's what we do."

No firefighters were injured during the incident. 

Red Cross is on scene to assist the family.

Durand acknowledged the situation could have been a lot worse if the fire had erupted in the middle of the night.

"They were already up and about," Durand said. "It's not like if it was three o'clock in the morning and they had to get up and get dressed. There were able to get out as soon as somebody yelled 'fire.' At three o'clock in the morning, it's always possible it's a far different outcome."

UPDATE: We've added five pictures submitted by Ralf Kurzowski.

More pictures after the jump:

The following pictures were submitted by Ralf Kurzowski.

 

If you live in Byron and commute to Riga, you're in luck -- the trip is going to get much faster.

High-speed rail is coming to Genesee County, according to Congresswoman Louise Slaughter.

But it won't get you to Albany or New York City. It won't even get you to Rochester or Buffalo. But it will get you to Riga.

A more extensive high-speed-rail system would cost billions and President Obama didn't bless New York with that much money.

He earmarked just $150 million for a "demonstration project."

The tracks will lay beside a current rail line, but engineered so existing Amtrak trains can obtain a speed of 110 mph, compared to the current top speed of 79 mph.

Here's the D&C story.

UPDATE: WBTA's Geoff Redick interviewed Victoria Dillon (mp3) from Rep. Slaughter's office. Dillon reveals this stretch of track will not connect with anything. No train will run on it. It's just a third rail. Linking it into any other system, "would create extra crossing that we would just have to get rid of," Dillon said.  She calls it "an important first step."

Melissa Ellen Quigley, 30, of 6535 Main Road, Stafford, is charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle, operating a snowmobile while intoxicated and operating a snowmobile without a helmet. Quigley was arrested at 1:45 this morning by Deputy Frank Bordonaro on the listed charges.

Craig M. Meyer, 24, of 6611 Albion Road, Oakfield, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and aggravated unlicensed operation. Meyer was stopped by Deputy Tim Wescott for allegedly driving 78 mph in a 55 mph zone on Route 63 in the Town of Batavia on Wednesday.

Cory R. Markidis, 20, of 2 Beechwood St., Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and unlicensed operation. Markidis was stopped by Deputy Matthew Butler on Route 33, Town of Stafford on Jan. 3.

A 17-year-old resident of Oakfield is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The youth was arrested at his home after allegedly being found in possession of a small quantity of marijuana.

A 17-year-old from Alexander is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The youth was arrested by State Police on Jan. 6. No further details available.

Jeffery R. Muntz, 26, of Bergen, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation and false personation. Muntz was arrested by State Police at 3:10 p.m. Tuesday on Irving Parkway in Oakfield. He was jailed on an unspecified bail amount.

The following accidents were included on the State Police blotter:

9:03 a.m., Jan. 6, Town of Bergen, one vehicle; Driver: Mary E. West, 37, of Pallmetto, Fla. No injuries.

2:08 p.m., Jan 6, Fargo Road and Harlow Road, Town of Darien, two vehicles; Driver 1: Derek R. Long, 18, of Akron; Driver 2: James J. Lis, 22, of Darien Center. One reported injury.

2:55 p.m., Jan. 12, Brown Road, Town of Batavia, two vehicles; Driver 1: Timothy M. Zielinski, 40, of Attica; Driver 2: James J. Diabo, 59, of Batavia. No injuries.

3:59 p.m., Jan 12, Byron Holley Townline Road, Byron, one vehicle; Driver 1: Racheal J. Millspaugh, 26, of Bergen. No injuries.

(NOTE: One of the consistent bits of feedback from our survey is that we don't always follow up on accidents and other incidents we initially report off the scanner. We don't always get the reports in order to follow up. The State Police blotter includes some information about any accidents Troopers investigate. Rather than try to tie one particular blotter entry to something we may or may not have reported before, we thought we would start including all of the accidents from the blotter in Police Beat.)

A woman who was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital by ground ambulance following an accident on Clinton Street Road on Sunday night has been treated and released.

Margaret G. Foley, 86, of 6880 Lymon Road, Byron, reportedly lost control of her car on a snow-covered road, hit a mailbox and then a snow pile, causing her car to overturn onto the passenger side.

The accident occurred at 10:28 p.m. Sunday in the area of 5860 Clinton Street Road, Stafford.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Frank Bordonaro. No tickets were issued. No other vehicles were involved.

Here's our initial report.

A dryer fire that is now believed to be out has been reported at 5857 Byron-Holley Road.

Byron and South Byron fire departments have been dispatched.

Bergen and Elba are requested to stand by and Town of Batavia Fast Team is asked to stand by.

UPDATE 12:05 p.m.: South Bryon back in hall, back in service.

UPDATE 12:10 p.m.: Byron back in service.

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Deputy Brad Mazur apparently makes for a convincing pizza delivery driver.

On Nov. 15, Mazur showed up at the home of a Byron woman with a fresh pizza from Fullerino's Pizza and asked her to sign the credit card slip.  The woman signed, just as she reportedly has before for orders from Fullerino's.

Mazur's ruse worked.

The credit card number used by the woman was allegedly stolen.

After Mazur identified himself he asked the lady a few questions. The interview led to the discovery of several such allegedly fraudulent transactions that began with the woman reportedly stealing credit card numbers while employed at Batavia Citgo.

Mazur delivered his pizza to Alisha A. Ballard, 21, of 7174 Byron Road.

Ballard faces several charges, including petit larceny, forgery 2nd, unlawful possession of a  personal ID, identify theft 2nd and falsifying business records 1st.

After being arraigned in Batavia City Court, Ballard was released under the supervision of Genesee Justice.

The investigation began Oct. 30 after a local resident complained that his credit card number had been used without his authorization to order food from Fullerino's. Mazur and Deputy John Duyssen conducted the investigation.

The alleged credit card thefts date back to Aug. 18.

A house fire has been reported at 6544 Byron-Holley Road, Byron.

UPDATE (6:18 p.m.) The fire captain reports the fire is under control and engines are leaving the scene.

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A car is on fire after hitting a deer on Route 262 in the area of Byron-Bergen School.

UPDATE 11:12 p.m.: The car is described as fully involved.

Valene May Blackwell, 26, of 22 Tracy Ave. Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Blackwell is accused of shoplifting $35.91 in items from Kmart.

Ryan M. Bobzin, 21, of Byron, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and driving a vehicle with a suspended registration. Bobzin was reportedly stopped by State Police on Route 237 in Byron on Monday at 10:45 a.m.

Jonathan A. Brenkus, 21, of Elba, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, aggravated unlicensed operation and driving in excess of 55 mph. Brenkus was reportedly stopped by State Police on Route 33 in Stafford Monday at 8:50 a.m.

A bomb threat was scrawled on a bathroom wall at Byron-Bergen High School today, and two youths have been charged with a felony as a result.

One student is 17 years old and the age of the second suspect was not released.*

Both are charged with falsely reporting an incident in the 2nd degree and conspiracy in the 5th degree.

The two students allegedly conspired in order to get out of school

The older suspect was jailed on $1,500 bail.

*NOTE: while the Sheriff's Office released the name of the first suspect, it is the policy of The Batavian not to identify possible Youthful Offenders who are not at least 18 years old, except for, in our sole discretion, serious crimes. In New York, defendants can be adjudicated a Youthful Offender through his or her 19th year. (We generally identify suspects at age 18 and 19.)

Reginald Jason Donahue, 34, of 6483 Townline Road, Byron, is charged with criminal contempt in the first degree and menacing in the third degree. Donahue is accused of entering the residence of his estranged wife, violating an order of protection. During a reported argument with her, he allegedly made a fist and threatened her.

Juan A. Ramos, 19, of Batavia, was arrested by State Police at 8170 Batavia-Stafford Townline Road, Batavia. Ramos is charged with trespass.

There was a rash of car break-ins over night in Elba and Byron and items stolen include long rifles, according to Deputy Brian Thompson.

Thompson is asking that anybody who saw or heard anything suspicious between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. to call the Sheriff's Office at 585-345-3000.

He said any residents who find that their cars were entered over night, no matter what was taken, should call.

"People will say, 'oh, it's just some spare change,' but we need to map where these break-ins took place," Thompson said.

The pattern of break-ins include Barre in Orleans County, Thompson said. He estimates the total number of cars reported so far at about 20.

All of them were left unlocked, including the cars that contained the guns.

"People are just not getting the message," Thompson said. "Every house we go to people say they didn't know we've been having car break-ins for the last year and a half. I just don't get it. You've been reporting it. The Daily's been reporting it. It's been on WBTA and on TV in Buffalo and Rochester. People don't understand that in today's drug-infested situation we're in, it happens everywhere, not just in the city."

Investigators are looking for possibly two suspects, Thompson said. Based on the description from people who heard the timing of car doors slamming and cars driving off, it appears there is a person on foot going into cars and another person driving a getaway car.

The South Byron Volunteer Fire Department has a new tanker that it hopes to have in service by January.

To meet that deadline, there will be intensive driver and operator training, according to Scott Blossom, who supplied the picture and information.

Tanker 87 was received by the department on Sunday. It was built by Crimson Fire, Inc. in Brandon, South Dakota. It's a 2009 Kenworth T370 Chassis with a five-man commercial cab.

It can pump 1,250 gallons per minute and has a 2,750-gallon water tank with a remote controlled tail pump. It will have 1,000 feet of 4-inch supply hose, one 3/4-inch attack hand line and two 1/2-inch heavy attack lines. 

The truck is capable of being a front-line engine.

It replaces a 1984 Ford tanker with a 500-gallon per-minute pump and 2,000 gallon tank.  That tanker is now up for sale.

UPDATE: I sent a follow up e-mail to Scott and asked about the price of the tanker.  Below is his response, which also clarifies some of the terminology.

Around $265,000

A few boo boos in the posting, I should have been clearer with firefighting terms. It is a tail dump, that is to say where the water dumps out of the truck into a portable tank for engines to suck water out of to fight fires. Used in areas without fire hydrants. The tankers bring water to the scene from ponds, streams, or the nearest hydrant.

The sizes of the attack lines are 1.75 inches and 2.5 inches, as we write them 1 3/4 and 2 1/2.

No biggee, my fault for not being clear.  When your used to talking a certain way, you forget to adjust your terms for those who are not in you line of work.

A driver reportedly lost control of her car, hit a house on Swamp Road and then left the scene of accident, according to a Sheriff's Office accident report.

She reportedly told Deputy Frank Bordonaro that after striking a tree and a house, a deer ran into her car.

Deborah S. Mayo, 43, of 7008 Swamp Road, Byron, is the reported driver. According to the report, she was not injured.

Mayo was charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, failure to reduce speed for a curve and leaving the scene of an accident involving an animal.

According to the report, Mayo was driving in the area of 6657 Swamp Road at about 11:07 p.m..

The individuals involved in starting a bonfire that apparently ignited a fire in Byron on Sunday night will not face criminal charges, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster sent this e-mail:

District Attorney Friedman recommended no prosecution. He stated that the actions surrounding the fire's start are not criminal in nature.

Previously:

• Last night's Byron fire under investigation by Sheriff's Office
• Back unit of apartment house in Byron gutted by fire
• Apartment fire reported in Byron

We heard an investigator was 6296 W. Main St. (Route 262), Byron, the scene of last night fire, and so we e-mailed the Sheriff's Office for more information.

Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster sent the following reply:

The investigator assigned is currently back out at the scene. He will be consulting with the District Attorney's Office about possible charges later this afternoon. As far as arson, that will be one of several possibilities that will be discussed. 

Gary W. Merritt, 50, of 9570 Bernd Road, Le Roy, is charged with reckless endangerment in the first degree. Merritt allegedly fired shotgun rounds at a neighbor's house. The rounds struck a glass door while the resident was standing near the door. The alleged incident occurred Saturday at 3:15 p.m. and was investigated by Deputy James Diehl. Merritt was released under supervision of Genesee County Justice.

Darryl Stephen Johnston, 34, of 111 Copeland St., is charged with petit larceny. Johnston is accused of stealing five bottles of booze off the bar at the Pizza Pantry in Corfu. The bar was closed at that time of day on Aug. 28. Johnston was arrested at his home in Rochester on Nov. 4.

Paul S. Banach, 22, of 166 Lake Road, Avon, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, failure to stop for a stop sign, speeding and driving left of pavement markings. Banach was stopped Saturday at 2:50 a.m. by Deputy Jason Saile on Route 262 in the Town of Byron.

Arthur W. Hale, Jr., 48, of Foxe Harrow Drive, Rochester, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and driving left of pavement markings. Hale was allegedly observed crossing a double yellow line once, and a dotted yellow line twice on Route 33 in Stafford by Sgt. Greg Walker at 2:03 a.m. on Saturday. The officer stopped Hale and determined that he was allegedly driving drunk. Hale was also cited for failure to keep right and refusing to take breath test.

David M. Jackson, 32, of Bethany, is charged with harassment and endangering the welfare of a child. Jackson was arrested by State Police at 6:10 p.m. on Saturday. No further details available.

The back apartment in a three-unit complex at 6296 W. Main St. (Route 262) in Byron was completely gutted by a late night fire.

The fire was reported just before 10 p.m. and the cause remains under investigation, according to Tim Yaeger, Genesee County emergency management coordinator.

There are no reported injuries at this time, either to residents or firefighters.

As many as eight or nine people were in the back apartment when the fire started.

The fire was under control by 10:38 p.m., Yaeger said.

Red Cross Director Judith Nagel lives next door to the fire and was already providing relief in her home to a woman and her 17-year-old son. She was ready to provide assistance, she said, to the other residents, but they seemed to have dispersed. She indicated a number of people lived in the building.

"We saw smoke and heard people yelling," Nagel said. "This is my house. We looked out, saw smoke and came out to start assisting.

"The only time I've been able to respond quicker," she said, "was when it was in this place." She was pointing to the house on the other side of her home.

UPDATE: This morning, fire officials are saying the fire may have been caused by a spark from a bonfire in the backyard of the residence. When I was at the fire last night, I was taken into the backyard to take pictures, and there was clearly a bonfire still burning. The bonfire was about 40 yards from the house. The fire caused an estimated $75,000 in damage.

The fire was first discovered in a hallway leading to the back apartment.

Departments responding to the fire: Byron, South Byron, Bergen, Stafford, Bethany, Clarendon, Elba, Oakfield, Town and City of Batavia.

Byron and South Byron Fire have been dispatched to an apartment fire at Route 262, west of Route 237.

A first responder reports the building is across from the Presbyterian Church and is fully engulfed.

The initial caller was reported out of breath and talking excitedly.

All residents are reportedly out of the building.

The fire is now in a second alarm with Elba and Town of Batavia FAST teams responding, Stafford on standby.

UPDATE 10:02 p.m.: There are a number of residents out of the building.

UPDATE 10:09 p.m.: Town of Batavia FAST team is being reassigned to a task at the fire and City of Batavia FAST team is being brought in.  

UPDATE 10:19 p.m.: The Red Cross is responding to the scene. It has been ordered that the roof of the apartment building be opened up. A team of four firefighters is inside the building.

UPDATE 10:26 p.m.: For at least five minutes, water has been pumped into the fire scene. Just heavy smoke at this point. The roof has been opened up to the attic and firefighters are still working on the second story.

UPDATE 10:30 p.m.: All available units from Elba have been requested.

UPDATE 10:40 p.m.: Presumably, the Red Cross is the entity seeking to provide refreshments to the onlooking apartment dwellers.

UPDATE 10:47: All power has been cut off at the apartment building. One person at the apartment building reportedly can provide an eyewitness account of what happened, but the fire personnel will need an interpreter to communicate with him.

UPDATE 10:51: A code enforcement officer has been called to the scene. The eyewitness subject is being transported to a fire station to be interviewed.

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Byron Fire is responding to the smell of natural gas at 7232 Byron-Holley Road.

A first responder reports the strong smell of natural gas in the area and another fire official asked for dispatch to contact RG&E. "We've been here numerous times," he said.

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