An 84-year-old man lost his house and everything in it during a fire last week on Swarthout Road in Owasco. The fire, which lit the night sky on Jan. 2, was made brighter by the presence of a propane tank venting itself next to the house.
“The fire was fully involved on our arrival; the roof was already collapsing,” said Owasco Fire Department Chief Angelo Messina. “Because of a westerly wind, the fire impinged on a propane tank next to the house.”
A video shot by a member of the Skaneateles Fire Department, which assisted with the call, shows the house fully engulfed in fire and a huge jet of flame shooting up into the night sky.
“The tank vented itself the way it should. It did not explode. If it had exploded, I wouldn’t be here,” Messina said.
The Owasco VFD received the call at 10:18 p.m., Messina said. The 84-year-old owner of the house, whose name was not released, escaped the house safely and walked barefoot to his nearest neighbor’s house to call the fire department.
The man was taken later to the hospital for smoke inhalation and a small cut on his arm, Messina said.
The Owasco VFD was on the scene of the fire for five hours. They were assisted by departments from West Niles, New Hope, Fleming and Skaneateles.
The Skaneateles VFD had just been released from a call on Benson Road when Chief Eric Sell heard the call about the Owasco structure fire over the dispatch radio. He headed to the Swarthout Road scene and offered to assist. “That’s all it was,” Sell said.
Chief Messina gave Skaneateles more credit, however, saying, “God bless the chief [of the Skaneateles VFD]. He was right there in terms of helping out.”
Skaneateles crews were released form the scene around 12:30 a.m.; Owasco crews were on scene until 3:30 a.m.
The cause of the fire currently is under investigation.
Jason Emerson is editor of the Skaneateles Press. He can be reached at [email protected].
