Lewis County crews say wood stove likely cause of total-loss house fire in Harrisburg
Dec. 27—LOWVILLE — No injuries were reported after a house was destroyed by fire shortly after 1 p.m. Christmas Day.
In a news release, the Lowville Volunteer Fire Department said the owners of the home at 7244 Sears Pond Road in Harrisburg noticed smoke and fire coming from the wall near a wood stove. They then exited the structure with their dogs.
Fire crews rescued a cat and returned it safely to the owner. Another cat was unaccounted for at the time the departments left the scene.
The fire is thought to have started in the wall near the wood stove, but the origin remains inconclusive because fire crews could not access the area due to the structure being unstable.
The initial hit from fire crews came from the outside until the water supply was established which resulted in crews being able to attack the fire from inside.
Interior operations were hindered due to the fire having a head start. There was "extreme fire and heat," the release states.
Firefighters transitioned to a defensive operation until it was safe to go back into the building and put out the hotspots.
Fire crews were dealing with the temperature, wind and snow and were on scene for almost five hours.
Fire Chief Joe Austin, said weather conditions froze ladders and hoses. He explained in a Facebook post that all of the hose we used on site were frozen by the time they returned to the fire hall.
"The drop tank which had to be brought back via pickup to the fire hall had to be dried out and washed off because it froze after being drained and could be put back on the trucks," he said. "Our ladders kept freezing on site which caused extra hazards to our guys when they were using the ladders. The weather today was around 20 degrees with a wind chill of approximately below 0."
In addition, the chief expressed his gratitude for the response.
"I want to mention how great of a turnout it was for all departments even with it being on Christmas," he wrote. "All these men and women left their families and dinners to come out and help those in need. Lowville alone had 22 members at this call and I couldn't be more grateful for all of their dedication."
The Lowville department responded with crews from Martinsburg, Rodman and New Bremen. The chief commented that this was the first call at a working fire that thy responded to with Rodman Fire Department, which recently took over fire protection from the now dissolved Copenhagen Fire Department.
"Great agencies working together now between counties and still working well together to get the job done," he wrote.
The chief expressed thanks to the departments which provided mutual aid as well as to the Lewis County Search and Rescue "for having an ambulance on standby all afternoon and rehabbing the cold firefighters."
The fire's cause is officially undetermined, but thought to be related to an overheated wood stove pipe that was too close to combustibles, the release states.
The house and all contents were deemed a total loss.
