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Fully involved structure fire on North Road, Le Roy

By Billie Owens

A working structure is reported at 7993 8005 North Road in Le Roy. Le Roy, Stafford and Pavilion fire departments are responding along with the city's Fast Team.

UPDATE 12:33 a.m.: A responder on scene reports "there is an exposure problem with a propane tank." A "full assignment" from Caledonia is requested along with Bergen. City's first platoon is called to its headquarters to stand by. National Grid is called in.

UPDATE 12:36 a.m.: A crew from York is called to stand by in Le Roy's fire hall.

UPDATE 12:93 a.m.: The location is just west of Conlon Road.

UPDATE 12:49 a.m.: Command tells responders to proceed to the scene from the east.

UPDATE 12:54 a.m.: A crew from the Town of Batavia is requested to stand by in Le Roy's fire hall. No word on status of the same request from York.

UPDATE 1:17 a.m.: The original address of the fire was an approximation provided by the caller. It is now reported to be 8005 North Road, which is east of Conlon Road, but just west of a creek.

UPDATE 1:20 a.m.: Crews from Alexander and Bethany are called.

UPDATE 1:24 a.m.: Elba and Darien fire departments requested to man tankers in their respective halls.

UPDATE 1:32 a.m.: Now a tanker from Oakfield is requested to fill in at Le Roy's fire hall.

UPDATE 1:35 a.m.: Oakfield is asked to instead man a tanker at its own fire hall.

UPDATE 1:46 a.m.: Looking at the street view on Google Maps, the North Road location is right across the street from the north end of Conlon Road.

UPDATE 2:13 a.m.: According to the Town of Le Roy's 2014 final tax assessment database online, the property is owned by Gregory J. Luetticke-Archbell, who is involved in a lawsuit with two neighboring families regarding his Frost Ridge Campground summer concert series. The 2,512-square-foot house has five bedrooms, two baths, and sits on 9.73 acres. It was built in 1806 and was last purchased in May 2011 for $116,400.

UPDATE 2:45 a.m.: Here's what David Luetticke-Archbell told media at the scene:

“I’m so lucky. Oh God. We were about a block away and coming up the hill and we saw a little bit of flames and some smoke and then I realized there were fire trucks here – there were one or two – and I wasn’t sure what to think. I thought maybe it was a barn or something and then I looked up and there is our home with fire on it and it’s everything that we ever had. And it’s not there anymore and I don’t know what to say – watching them tear this thing down…

"When we moved out here, we scaled down to what we could fit in our RV and we came and there were very few personal effects, just the things that actually had meaning because they came from a parent or a grandparent or something. And there’s nothing left. Absolutely nothing. And I keep telling the kids that it’s going to be OK because we still have each other, but there’s nothing else left and it’s going to have to be enough."

They had been gone all day. When they got home, David said Greg kept calling for their dog, Sadie, to try and get her out. Greg wanted, and tried, to go inside to look for her but was stopped by a Le Roy police officer.

"...an officer said 'no you can't, it's too dangerous.' And he was right because about that time the front of the house – it exploded. I mean you would have thought there was a bomb in there or something. I mean you ... look at this. There’s nothing left. There’s like a frame."

Greg was transported to the hospital. He was visibly shaking at the time. He had a couple of heart attacks a few weeks ago and they took him to the hospital to keep an eye on him, David said, adding that the children's aunt is staying at camp and they will stay with her for "a week or two until we figure it out."

UPDATE 5 a.m.: Le Roy Fire Police told to open the roads back up.

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