batavia

An alarm system and quick response from the Batavia City Fire Department saved a home on East Avenue from destruction tonight when a fire started in the kitchen while the homeowners were away.

The alarm came in at 7:41 p.m. at 224 East Ave., Batavia, and when firefighters arrived on scene, according to Capt. Craig Williams, the inferno building inside wasn't obvious.

"When pulled up we could hear an audible alarm sounding but couldn’t see any smoke," Williams said. "There was nobody home at the time. It was closed up tight. When we went to the front door, we could smell something burning inside and we could see steam on the inside of all the windows, so it was pretty hot in there."

During an exterior check of the house, a firefighter saw flames through a rear window, so crews broke in through the front door.

The kitchen was quickly fully involved and firefighters began beating back the flames from a front window, pushing the fire toward the back of the house.

Chief James Maxwell credited the crews with a quick, strategic response for saving the structure. As rapidly as fire can spread, without either the alarm or the fast response, the whole structure could have become engulfed quickly.

The home, owned by Jeffery and Rebecca Oshlag, suffered $30,000 damage from what is officially classified as an accidental fire.

The kitchen was destroyed and there was heavy smoke and heat damage throughout the house.

Two cats survived the fire. One suffered from smoke inhalation and was taken to a veterinary clinic. It is expected to survive. (NOTE: See comment below from Rachel Oshlag -- one of the cats, an orange tabby, is still missing. Rachel believes it's in the neighborhood someplace.)

Rebecca Oshlag said she was grateful for the alarm system and the quick response from the fire department.

She also praised Nancy Nickerson and Sean Valdes, owners of the D&R Depot in Le Roy, where she and her husband were having dinner. 

She said they had just sat down when Jeffery received the call about the fire alarm.  Thinking that it was a false alarm, Jeffery hopped in his car and headed toward the house, planning to return to dinner.

When they found out it was a real fire, Rebecca said she approached Nancy and said she had a problem -- there was a fire at her house and Jeffery had already left. Sean drove Rebecca home.

"It was wonderful, wonderful help from the Depot," Rebecca said. "It's one of the advantages of small-town living."

(initial report)

Photo: Submitted by a reader.

A fire is reported at a residence at 224 East Ave. in the City of Batavia.

City firefighters and Mercy medics are responding following a fire alarm there. A second fire platoon is requested to standby in headquarters. Batavia police are helping with traffic control.

National Grid is being notified about the incident, but no other details have yet been reported. The occupants are not home.

UPDATE (7:57 p.m.): The fourth platoon is requested to standby in headquarters and the second platoon is called to the scene. It is reportedly a fully involved kitchen fire.

UPDATE (8 p.m.): Firefighters on scene are told to come in through the back sliding glass doors. The homeowner is en route according to the alarm company.

UPDATE (8:03 p.m.): The fire is "knocked down." National Grid is expected momentarily. Traffic barricades are soon to be delivered.

UPDATE (8:07 p.m.): The homeowners are on scene. One cat has been rescued, but firefighters are told there's another one still inside the home.

UPDATE (8:19 p.m.): The firefighters are now doing "overhaul" to ensure the fire's complete extinction.

Here's information from a news release:

The completion of Jerome Senior Apartments in Batavia was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday.

Jerome Senior Apartments is a 37-unit affordable senior community owned and managed by Conifer Management. This brand-new complex is available for seniors 62+, and is located within the United Memorial Jerome Center, which makes it possible for residents to ride an elevator to appointments within the center.

The complex hosts a variety of services and amenities to accommodate the specific and individual needs of its residents. These include Energy Star-rated appliances, wall-to-wall berber carpets, window treatments, an emergency call system, a controlled building-access system, a community room, an exercise room, a computer lab and more.

It is located near financial institutions, churches, the senior center and shopping areas.

“It is heartening to see this type of housing made available for our citizens,” Assemblyman Stephen Hawley said. "It is equally impressive that the former St. Jerome Hospital has been refurbished instead of torn down…our history continues, intact, with existing structures instead of tearing down and starting all over!”

The complex is located at the site of the St. Jerome Hospital, 16 Bank St. Opened in 1917, the hospital was a iconic landmark of Batavia for more than 75 years. Several major renovations, notably in 1922 and 1947, display the unique architectural elements that were incorporated into the current renovation.

Jerome Senior Apartments share the building with professional and retail businesses, adding to the appeal for senior living in a mixed-use and accessible neighborhood.

Number of units: 37 affordable senior apartments
Unit type: One and two bedroom
Developer: Conifer Realty, LLC
Architect: Clark Patterson Lee
Contractor: Conifer-LeChase Construction, LLC
Not-for-profit partner: United Memorial Medical Center
Construction lender: Bank of Castile
Equity financing: M&T Bank/Tompkins Financial Corp.
Financing: $687,000 - DHCR Low Income

Housing tax credits: $4,690,245 -- 9-percent tax credit equity
(M&T Bank & Tompkins Financial Corp.)

$5,139,571 - NYS Housing Trust Fund TCAP
$703,000 - FHLB NY
$118,802 - FHLB Pittsburgh
$107,000 - NYSERDA
Sales Tax Exemption & PILOT - Genesee County Economic Development Center

The Democrats held an open house for their 2010 Genesee County Campaign Headquarters in the mall this evening.

Above, Chris Charvella explains how much he loves The Batavian (um, actually, I have no idea what he was talking about at the time). Below in the dark suit is Senate candidate Marc Coppola. Bonus picture for regular readers after the jump.

Dozens and dozens of people turned out to Go Art tonight for the release of Jim Nigro's first novel, "Tapestry: A Life Walk Among Friends."

When Nigro was at best about half way through signing copies of his book, he said his hand was getting tired. When I arrived, the line out the door was at least 20-people deep. When I left, it was still at least 20-people deep.

For more about the book and Jim, click here.

It was Pink Hatters Night at the Holiday Inn this evening.  The event is an annual breast cancer awareness program.

It included a Chinese auction, dinner, Dr. Nina Strollor as a speaker and a comedy variety show hosted by Nels Ross.

Jerry Arena is planning to open a new bar at property he owns on Park Road. He will call it The Ten Cent Millionaire Tavern. He intends it to be a relaxing, affordable environment for a couple of drinks and maybe some chicken wings or a burger. 

He's already bought an attractive curved -- and very long -- bar for inside and is working on remodeling now.

There are some permits to secure from the Town of Batavia and he will add more space on the back of the building.

If everything goes to plan, he expects to open in the spring. More realistically, he said, he will likely open later in the summer.

Ray England is 70 years old and lives in Albion. He cleans windows for a living and has a handful of clients in Downtown Batavia.

He was on Main Street this afternoon in his top hat and green scarf taking care of some shop windows when I met him.

He uses a contraption that he built himself. It's quite ingenious. One metal poll with a cleaning wand at the end. A tube is connected to the wand and an air-pressure garden sprayer on a pull cart. England can spray water up the tube and onto the window.

One advantage of the system, he said, is that his hands never get wet, so he can easily clean windows in winter.

The squeegee he uses to wipe the water off the windows has a swivel head so he can handle any shape, including rounded edges, of a window.

The idea for the design came to him after he was seriously hurt in an auto accident.

“My arm was broken in three places and split at the wrist," England said. "For two years I couldn’t use this arm. It was dead meat. That’s when the great Lord above, the great engineer, He designed the universe, showed me this idea. I put it together and I’ve been using it ever since."

England claims to have a patent on the design and would like to find a U.S. manufacturer to build it and sell it so Americans could be put to work, but he claims a German company stole his idea and is building the same system out of cheap plastic.

"Mine is made with steal and copper and I sell it for $600," England said. "They sell theirs for $1,700 and if you drop it, it breaks."

Another great sunset tonight. Here's a couple of shots I grabbed on Main Street.

A disabled tour bus is adding to rush hour traffic congestion at Ellicott and Main.

The bus is sitting, with its four-way emergency lights blinking, on westbound Ellicott Street near the old courthourse.

This afternoon I had the pleasure of touring one of the businesses in the Harvester Center and when I found myself on an upper floor on the south end of the building, I was able to get a picture of William Morgan's statue at an angle we don't usually see.

The Pratt Road bridge over the Tonawanda Creek will be closed for repairs starting tomorrow, according to County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens.

The closure is expected to last a week.

Two steel girders will be reinforced.

The repairs will enable the county to remove a load restriction placed on the bridge following inspections this summer.

The $10,000 expenditure comes from the 2010 Bridge Capital Improvement Project, which is funded with state highway aid.

William George Horner, 59, of Bank Street Road, Batavia, is charged with theft of services and harassment, 2nd. He is accused of refusing to pay a driver of Batavia Cab Company following a taxi ride and then allegedly punching the driver. The alleged incident occurred at 2:40 a.m. in the area of 8013 Bank St. Road.

John M. Parker, 58, of 1302 Phelps Road, Pembroke, is charged with felony DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or higher, driving with no headlight, failure to use turn signal, no seat belt and avoiding traffic device or intersection. Parker was stopped at 10:26 p.m., Tuesday, by Officer Richard Retzlaff of the Corfu Police Department on Route 33 just east of the village. Parker was allegedly found to have a BAC of .21.

Nadine M. Jackson, 48, of Le Roy, is charged with grand larceny, 3rd. Jackson was arrested by State Police for an alleged crime reported at 9:05 a.m., Aug. 15. No further details were released.

A car has reportedly sheared off a fire hydrant at Putnam Road and E Road, Town of Batavia.

No water leak reported at this time.

UPDATE: Reader submitted photo.

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The Democrats are in the mall, across from Sunny's, next to the north side entrance. The Republicans are at 5 Jackson St., Batavia.

Both campaign headquarters are decorated with candidate signs.

Chris Charvella announced on behalf of the Democrats that they will have a grand opening at 6:30 p.m., Thursday.

No word from the Republicans on their plans.

UPDATE: The GOP open house is now scheduled for 11 a.m., Saturday. Steven Hawley and Mike Ranzenhofer are expected to be on hand.

Willie Lamar Ervin, 18, of Bonica Street, Rochester, is charged with unlawfully dealing with fireworks. Deputy Brian Thompson responded to a report of M88 type fireworks being set off in the parking lot of College Village at 3:15 a.m., Sunday. Ervin was issued an appearance ticket. Also charged was Jerrod Malcolm Scott, 18, of Ridgeway Avenue, Rochester, and Armekco Davante Austin, 18, of Terrace Park, Rochester.

Anthony Willie Wagner, 19, of Bruce Street, Syracuse, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Wagner was at 4:49 a.m., Sunday, following an investigation into a report of fireworks being set off in the College Village parking lot.

Clark Tyrell Canty, 20, of Lenox Street, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Canty was arrested by Deputy Brian Thompson at 11:12 p.m., Sept. 29, following a report of the strong odor of marijuana coming from a van parked in the parking lot of College Village.

Kimberly Ann Doyle, 20, of Watson Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Doyle was stopped at 1:04 a.m., Sept. 30, by Deputy Brian Thompson at College Village after dropping off a resident there. Doyle was allegedly spotted with a banned person in her vehicle. Upon investigation, with the assistance of K-9 "Jay," Doyle was allegedly found in possession of marijuana.

Ashley Evette Mercado, 20, of Watson St., Batavia, is charged with trespass. Mercado was arrested at 1:04 a.m., Sept. 30, by Deputy Brian Thompson for allegedly entering College Village and remaining there in violation of an alleged ban on her presence at College Village.

Sharnice Shantell Gibson, 18, of Wood Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass, 3rd. Gibson is accused of being on Walmart property at 11:04 p.m., July 23, in violation of a ban against her being on Walmart property. Gibson was issued an appearance ticket to be arraigned in Town of Batavia Court on Oct. 21.

Tyrone N. Thigpen, 33, of 9 South Lyon St., Batavia, and Robert L. Williams Jr., 20, of 25 Harvester Ave., Batavia, are charged with disorderly conduct. Thigpen and Williams are accused of fighting on Pringle Avenue at 3:10 a.m., Saturday.

Paul D. Barth Jr., 19, of Cohocton Road, Pembroke, is charged with petit larceny. Barth is accused of stealing merchandise while employed at Kmart. The alleged thefts occurred between July through September.

Lynn Ann Hertweck, 42, of Reed Road, Churchville, is charged with a felony count of DWI, aggravated DWI (driving with a BAC of .18 or greater) and improper left turn. Hertweck was stopped in the area of 30 Hunter St., Bergen, at 1:54 a.m., Sunday, by Deputy Howard Carlson.

Richard J. Kubus, 30, of 25 Vine St., Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Kubus is accused of attempting to steal a grocery cart full of merchandise from Tops Market in Le Roy. The total value is reportedly $401.69.

Trevor D. Cliff, 19, of Avon, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, operating a motor vehicle without an inspection certificate and speeding. Cliff was stopped by State Police at 8:28 p.m., Saturday, on Townline Road in Alabama.

Donald I. Wagner, 61, of Pavilion, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and failure to use designated lane. Wagner was stopped by State Police at 10:55 p.m. on Court Road, Covington.

A 17-year-old from Attica is accused of petit larceny from a location in Alexander. The youth was arrested by State Police at 1:39 p.m., Thursday. No further details released.

Follow up to an accident we reported Friday: Injured, Nikkolas M. Bruner, 52, of Basom.

Follow up to "wanted" post for Deborah Compton: Compton was taken into custody Saturday at her residence and released on $1,500 bail.

From the files of unsolved murders and mysterious deaths:

Bill Fickel, 2005: Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster believes he has a suspect, but needs more evidence to make a case. Brewster is looking for a second person he believes was outside Fickel's Oakfield home when Fickel was shot to death. Brewster's potential suspect is Steven Patrick Rebert, a former Oakfield resident who is a suspect in a double homicide in Pennsylvania. Brewster is hoping the second person will come forward and provide the additional information investigators may need to make the case.

"If we're going to get a conviction, we need more than a belief that this is the person who did it," Brewster said.

Kisha Sullivan, 2002: We spoke with Brewster about the Sullivan case in July, and Brewster said the eight-year-old cold case had recently become active He said there was a person identified who could be Sullivan's killer. Not much has changed since July. There is a man in Rochester that Brewster suspects killed Sullivan. He has reportedly told associates he did it, but nobody will come forward and help investigators put together a solid case. "Everybody is afraid of him," Brewster said. The Rochester police are aware of the suspect and the investigation and doing what they can to help.

Deborah Maniace, August 2010: Maniace's body was found next to the train tracks under the Route 33 bridge in Stafford. We asked Brewster about rumors that Maniace had information about meth dealing in Batavia and that this may be tied to her death. He laughed and said, "(Rumors) are just that." The rumors were checked out, Brewster said, and came to nothing. As recently as last week, investigators questioned Maniace's boyfriend, whom Brewster described as cooperative and somebody investigators are still looking at.