Black Friday shopping at Walmart was disrupted this morning by a small fire in the back of the store, according to County Legislator Jay Grasso, who was there shopping.
The entire store was evacuated, he said, with people leaving behind shopping carts of merchandise.
"It was orderly, but people were not happy," he said.
We have no further information available at this time.
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:
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.
A controlled burn of leaves apparently got out of control at 2099 Phelps Road, Pembroke.
Fire crews have been dispatched to the location to help put out a grass fire.
UPDATE 2:45 p.m.: Fire knocked down.
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.
A City of Batavia fire crew was just dispatched to the Manor House senior housing complex at 427 E. Main St.. They're on scene and report nothing visible.
UPDATE (2 p.m.): Fire fighters have returned to service. Apparently, it was a false alarm or an insignicant incident.
Fire crews are responding to a report of a grain bin fire at 2947 Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road, between Hutton Road and South Pearl Street. Other structures are nearby the fire.
Tankers have been requested from East Pembroke and Alabama.
UPDATE: East Pembroke's tanker is asked to respond in a non-emergency capacity. Alabama has been asked to stand down.
UPDATE (2:03 p.m.): Fire is out.
Engine 12 and Ladder 15 barely left the station for a fire alarm at 375 W. Main St. before a Sheriff's deputy on scene reported that the cause of the alarm was burnt food.
Within two minutes of arriving on scene, Ladder 15 returned to station.
UPDATE 9:57 p.m.: Engine 12 returning to quarters.
A garage fire that destroyed a car, a truck, a lawn tractor and an ATV last night was sparked by a short in an electrical outlet, according to a Sheriff's Office investigation.
The fire was first reported at 12:47 a.m. at 8880 Allegheny Road in Corfu and well before the first fire units could arrive, the garage was fully engulfed in flames.
No residents of the Swiatowy home were injured, nor were any firefighter injuries reported.
The garage was unoccupied at the time.
Destroyed were a 1984 Olds Delta 88, a 2003 Ford F150 pickup truck, an ATV and a lawn tractor. A tractor parked outside of the garage was also damaged.
The home is insured.
Sgt. Brian Frieday investigated the incident.
UPDATE 10:29 p.m.: Above is a reader-submitted photo of the fire we received a little while ago.
Previously: Garage fire reported in Corfu
An electrical extension cord running through a basement window to a detached garage is the likely cause of a fire this morning at 2320 Judge Road, Alabama.
All five family members at the home escaped safely, and firefighters rescued the family's dog and cat.
Emergency Management Coordinator Tim Yaeger called the use of the extension cord "improper."
The fire caused $60,000 to $70,000 damage to the structure and contents of the home.
The extension cord ignited the window frame, and the fire climbed up the outside wall, crawling into second-floor bedroom, into the eaves and eventually into the attic. It also was just beginning to ignite a first-floor living room couch when the fire was suppressed.
It took units from Alabama and Oakfield an hour to fight the fire.
The home, owned by Jim Venzey and rented by Dave Kinney, was insured, Yaeger said.
Previously: House fire reported on Judge Road in Alabama
A house fire has been reported at 2320 Judge Road, and a second alarm has been reported.
The caller reports heavy smoke, flames and glass breaking.
Alabama, a full response from Oakfield and an Elba pumper have been requested.
UPDATE: First responder reports, nobody is in the house.
UPDATE 9:54 a.m.: A crew inside reports there was a fire in a bedroom. The fire is knocked down a this time and the crew is checking for extensions.
A detached garage at 8880 Alleghany Road is fully engulfed in flames.
Fire units from Corfu and East Pembroke have responded.
Fire police have been dispatched to shut down traffic at routes 5 and 77 as well as routes 33 and 77.
The odor of something burning in a structure at LeRoy High School has been reported and a Pavilion pumper truck and a ladder truck have been requested. It's at 9300 S. Street Road.
A three-man crew is now at the scene. A LeRoy ladder truck is in route. Wyoming County is also ready to respond.
UPDATE: heard on scanner: "They can get to (the smoke) from inside -- they don't need a ladder. Response: "I don't want them inside now."
Ladder truck now on scene.
UPDATE: Smoke is definately coming from the building, which has been evacuated.
UPDATE (12:07 p.m.): Bergen's fire truck is being returned to service. Pavilion is staying on standby. Students are being let back into the school. Things are under control.
UPDATE: (12:18 p.m.): All units are back in service.
A truck fire has been reported at Route 19 and Townline Road in Bergen, across from the car dealership.
First responder reports, "One fully involved vehicle."
Smoke detectors awoke a Bank Street family this morning, allowing the people in the lower apartment unit to escape safely from a fire that started in an improperly lined chimney, according to a Batavia Fire Department release this morning.
Upon arrival at the 2:20 a.m. alarm, Batavia firefighters entered the upper apartment and awoke the two occupants and escorted them safely from the building.
Firefighters initially responded to the call of a "house filled with smoke."
The fire caused an estimated $30,000 damage to the house and $15,000 to its contents.
No smoke detectors were present in the upper unit, which was located at 140 Bank St..
UPDATE: WBTA spoke with Captain Michael Drew (MP3) of the Batavia Fire Department. Chief Ralph Hyde also told WBTA that the chimney was designed for gas heating and the occupants tried burning wood in the fireplace.
An abandoned house has reportedly caught on fire at 8038 N. Pembroke Road.
Earlier today there was a report of a controlled burn. According to Dispatch, the owner of the house, who was burning brush earlier, called to say the fire had spread to the house.
East Pembroke and Alabama fire departments are being dispatched.
A van fire has been reported at 7500 York Road in Pavilion. The caller reports her van was being worked on. There is a lot of smoke, but no visible flames.
A car fire has been reported on Route 262 just west of Route 19 in Bergen. Bergen Fire is responding. A first responder reports visible flames from the engine compartment.
Bergen Volunteer Fire Department is working a small bursh fire at 14 Gates St. It's described as "two small piles." No report yet of it turning out to be a controlled burn.
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