LEROY, N.Y. (WKBW) — On Sunday afternoon, flames erupted in the back of a house on Lincoln Avenue in LeRoy.
First on the scene was Genesee County Sheriff’s Deputy Jenna Ferrando.
“I saw there was a gentleman there with a garden hose trying to put out the fire, so I had my fire extinguisher, so I basically told him to get out of the way,” she told me.
Less than a minute later, LeRoy police officer Terrez Smith raced up with his fire extinguisher.
“The fire was spreading," he said. "It was going up the side of the house, getting to the gutters, potentially going to the roof. Potentially causing a bigger fire than what it started out as.”
LeRoy police detective James Prusak soon arrived at the scene.
“Grabbed my fire extinguisher and ran to the back and found them deploying their fire extinguishers and using a garden hose,” he said.
Ferrando found a ladder on the ground and put it up by the house. Smith climbed up so he could put out the fire on the upper part of the house.
Soon after, acting fire chief Craig Johnson arrived.
“Fire was spreading up the side of the house, that directed me to call a second alarm in the village that brought additional resources from five other fire departments into the village to help us that day," Johnson said.
Peter Cooper, a tenant, said Tuesday that he was grateful to all the first responders but also wanted to thank his neighbor who spotted the fire.
“If it wasn't for him, battling the fire with a hose and yelling and screaming 'get out, get out, there's a fire' we wouldn't know because we didn't even see any smoke," Cooper said.
No one was injured in the fire. The cause remains under investigation.
The LeRoy Police Chief had this to say about the response: “Our officers relied on their training and available equipment to help contain the house fire that day. Their swift, coordinated response reflects our commitment to protect and serve. This is just one example of the exceptional work our law enforcement officers do every day—often without recognition. I’m proud of their professionalism and courage under pressure.”
