Jaime Thomas
A fire damaged a duplex apartment building at 6 and 8 North Maple St. Friday night, but officials have not yet determined whether it is a total loss.
Firefighters received multiple calls to the scene of a working structure fire at 7:50 p.m., where neighbors saw flames and heard explosions. Granville Fire Chief Ryan Pedone said the fire had started in the back of the building and spread onto the roof. There was also a 20-gallon propane tank on fire, which Pedone said caused the explosive sounds.
He said area crews were able to knock down the main part of the fire within 30 minutes.
“They were able to get in there and knock it down pretty quick. It was a very, very quick knockdown,” Pedone said.
Assistant Fire Chief Mike Zinn said all the Granville crews and their mutual aid did an “excellent” job.
“It was an awesome interior attack on it. Once the heavy load was knocked down, we were able to get inside,” he said.
The fire, which investigators determined to be electrical in nature, was also strong in the attic of the building, so firefighters had to cut holes in the roof in order to fully extinguish it.
Two families consisting of a total of nine people were living in the building, and everyone was able to get out safely. The building’s owner, Rosemary Coon, said her tenants are currently staying at the Queensbury Hotel.
“It was tragic, but nobody was hurt and that’s a blessing,” Coon said. On Monday, she said she wouldn’t know if her tenants would be able to move back in until the end of the week.
Pedone said Mettowee Street was shut down for a bit during the fire, so crews could run a 4-inch hose to the scene. In addition to Granville Hook and Ladder and Granville Engine and Hose, crews from Middle Granville, North Granville, West Pawlet and Wells responded to the blaze, and Hartford stood by. The Granville Rescue Squad was also on scene.