Man dies house that was cited repeatedly for code violations, officials say.
View full sizeFirefighters work at the scene of fatal fire on Powerhouse Road in Elbridge. Elbridge, NY -- Over the years Town of Elbridge officials have had concerns about the condition of the home on Powerhouse Road where a young man died in a fire this morning.
The Town of Elbridge has ordered the heavily damaged house at 1197 Powerhouse Road demolished.
The Onondaga County Sheriff's Department has not yet released the name of the victim. Earlier today Sheriff Kevin Walsh said the victim was a young man.
Firefighters dispatched to the house at 2:15 a.m. arrived to find flames engulfing most of the small two-story wood frame house at 1197 Powerhouse Road, a lawn tractor blocking the front door and the only other exit at the rear blocked by flames.
“It was so heavily involved we would not have our guys go into it at that point,” said Jordan Fire Chief Douglas Milton.
Knee-high stacks of what Milton described as “debris” and “clutter” inside the house hampered firefighters battling the blaze.
Milton said he had been inside the house on several occasions to respond to emergency calls, and once for a small fire. The chief said he had contacted several Elbridge code enforcement officers over the years about conditions in the home.
“I’m frustrated. I’ve been trying to get something done here for 10 years,” Milton said tiredly as fire investigators combed through the charred remains.
Elbridge Code Enforcement Officer Robert Herrmann Jr. said a list of violations and warnings the town sent to homeowner Judith A. Pilipovic stretches back to 1995. The list includes the grass being too high, unregistered vehicles and trash in the yard.
Since he became code enforcement officer three years ago, Herrmann said, he has sent the owner two formal violation notices and several warning letters about conditions on the property.
The home owner usually corrected the problems quickly, once they were brought to her attention, he said.
Herrmann said the owner recently put a new roof on the small two-story wood frame house that is surrounded by woods that back up to railroad tracks and the New York State Thruway.
“Ironically, the house’s exterior condition is better than it’s been,” he said.
The town requires that rental properties be inspected once a year. However, because it was a private residence, Herrmann said he had no right to go inside the house unless the homeowner asked him inside, or if the owner were doing some kind of work that involved getting a permit.
“Unfortunately these things are out there,” he said. “We can’t tell people how to live in their house.”
The investigation into the cause of the fire is continuing.
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