Firefighters Save Village Home

By Liz Page

STAMFORD – A fire that got its start in a car parked near a home at 6 Church Street in the village of Stamford last Thursday, was stopped after it threatened to consume the empty home, according to Stamford Fire Chief Don VanEtten.

The Stamford Fire Department was dispatched shortly before 5 p.m. for a car fire close to a home owned by Albert Swan. The home is for sale and was unoccupied at the time of the fire, said VanEtten. The homeowner told officials he had parked the car in the driveway after arriving from New Jersey that afternoon.

"We got there within a couple of minutes, but by that time, the fire had started the side of the house on fire," said VanEtten. "The car was completely involved."

While firefighters made a good stop on the blaze, it did make its way into the attic area and underneath several layers of shingles, making it difficult to extinguish the hot spots.

The cause of the car fire is undetermined, said VanEtten. The Delaware County Cause and Origin Team responded, but the car was so badly damaged, that the exact cause could not be determined.

VanEtten called mutual aid to Hobart, Jefferson, and Grand Gorge, with firefighters making an interior attack to get at the hot spots. An estimated 60 firefighters responded.

"The car is totally gone, but the house can be repaired," said VanEtten. "Firefighters made a good stop as the fire was involving one side of the home."

VanEtten said state Route 23 (Main Street) was closed as firefighters laid a large diameter hose across the street to a hydrant. Traffic was rerouted with the help of the state Department of Transportation and fire police.

Firefighters were assisted by New York State Police and Delaware County Sheriffs Deputies. Headwaters EMS and Delaware County EMS assisted, with one firefighter transported for observation, who was treated and released, according to VanEtten.