Phone line went dead as an occupant reported the fire as it was occurring.
Firefighters and sheriff's deputies inspect the remains of a house that was destroyed by an early morning fire in Elbridge. A male resident died in the blaze. Elbridge, NY - Firefighters hampered by stacks of debris inside a house on Powerhouse Road in Elbridge were unable to rescue a man who died in a fire early this morning, the Jordan fire chief said.
At about 6:30 a.m. firefighters respectfully held up tarps to shield the body of a young man as he was taken from the burned out shell of 1197 Powerhouse Road and placed in an ambulance. The rear of the building was blackened timbers and little was left of the roof of the two-story wood frame building.
At least one of the calls reporting the fire came from the occupant of the house, whom Onondaga County Sheriff Kevin Walsh said, was a young man. Officials did not identify the victim.
“The resident of the house called 911 and was on the line for several minutes before they lost the conversation with him,” the sheriff said.
When firefighters dispatched at 2:15 a.m. arrived, the house was in flames, with the roof on fire and the only exit, which was in the rear, totally engulfed, said Jordan Fire Chief Douglas Milton.
“It was so heavily involved we would not have our guys go in at that point,” Milton said.
Firefighters attempted to reach the victim by breaking windows and calling, but they received no reply, he said.
“There wasn’t much anybody was going to do,” Milton said.
The woman who owns the house, whom the chief declined to identify, was at the fire scene, he said.
Firefighters were hampered by stacks of clutter which blocked the front door on the inside, while the outside was blocked by a lawn tractor, he said. There were stacks of clutter, which the chief indicated was about knee high, throughout the house.
Milton said he’s notified several Elbridge code enforcement officers over the years about the condition of the property and the disrepair of the home.
A man died in a fire that destroyed 1197 Powerhouse Road in Elbridge.“I’m frustrated. I’ve been trying to get something done here for 10 years,” Milton said
It took 20 to 40 minutes for firefighters from seven departments to battle the blaze.
Later when firefighters were able to go into the building, two firefighters received scrapes and bruises when they fell through the floor, he said.
Neighbors Bonnie and Don Napolitano, who live next door at 1165 Powerhouse, said that the owner told them that her son had gotten out of the house, but had re-entered to get the family’s two dogs.
The Napolitanos said they didn’t know the name of the owner, although they have spoken with her several times over the years.
Milton said he could not confirm that report because he did not speak with the owner.