A house fire broke out in Stamford, Wednesday, Dec. 17, displacing three families.
The Stamford Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched at 3:24 p.m. to 73 Main St., according to a Thursday, Dec. 18 Facebook post from Fire Chief Don VanEtten. The fire was at 71 Main St., a three-story residential structure next to a liquor store.
When fire units arrived on scene, all occupants and pets were confirmed to be out of the building, VanEtten said.
“The blaze was a difficult battle with multiple exposures” on the left and right side of the house, he said.
He added that the building had a “large working fire in the attic and upper floors of the structure.”
An interior fire operation started, but “deteriorating conditions” led interior operations to be suspended and a “defensive operation approach was made,” VanEtten said. After conditions improved, the interior operation began again.
At 5:17 p.m. the “fire was knocked down,” he said.
VanEtten added that there was an incident where a resident at the Main Street senior housing was in an elevator when power was taken down. A mutual aid department responded to that scene and removed her from the elevator safely.
Fifteen fire agencies from four counties arrived on scene to battle the fire, with 100 firefighters total. These included Cobleskill, Delhi, Margaretville, Halcottsville, Roxbury, Grand Gorge, East Meredith, Davenport, South Kortright, Conesville, Hobart, Jefferson and Oneonta fire departments. Additionally, Prattsville Hose Company provided support to Stamford.
Fire crews, engines, tankers, aerials, FAST and EMS were requested, VanEtten said.
Two troopers from the New York State Police were on scene and evacuated the residents from the buildings at 69 and 67 Main St.
NYSEG was requested as well, VanEtten said. Power was taken down for several buildings along Main Street. After aerial operations were completed, Main Street power was restored.
The Delaware County Department of Emergency Services is spearheading the investigation as to the cause of the fire, said Steve Hood, the director of emergency services, Thursday. He said the investigation is ongoing.
The American Red Cross is assisting families impacted by the fire to help them find clothing, food and alternate housing, among other services, Hood said
In the post, VanEtten also thanked the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office and acknowledged the state Department of Transportation for traffic assistance. He said that the Stamford Department of Public Works sanded roadways and provided water assistance and thanked the emergency dispatchers for their help. American Medical Response, Headwaters EMS Delaware County EMS and Hobart EMS provided EMS for firefighter rehabilitation.
“Thank you to our dispatchers,” VanEtten said. “We appreciate each one of you. This was a chaotic scene with lots of radio traffic and all while they are handling lots of other incidents throughout the county.”
Stamford residents Heather and Tim Clark created a GoFundMe to help raise money for these families. According to the GoFundMe description, the fire victims were identified as John Miller and Ania Krasinski, the Colone/Perez family, including their three children, and Chris and Tyler Pitera. As of 6:30 p.m. Thursday, it had raised close to $12,000.
To donate, visit https://tinyurl.com/stamfordfire.