House explosion

CHARLOTTE -Sunday at about 11 a.m., the Sinclairville Fire Department was sent to a house explosion at 3366 Bernard Road. Cassadaga, Gerry, Fluvanna, Ellery Center, Cherry Creek, and Stockton Fire Departments also responded to the scene.

When fire crews arrived, they found a fully involved fire.

All occupants were able to get out of the house and were taken to area hospitals to be treated for minor injuries.

Article Photos

OBSERVER?Photo by Daniel Riewaldt
Fireman work to extinguish flames Sunday morning following a house explosion in Charlotte.

OBSERVER Photos by Diane R. Chodan
Above: Pictured is the aftermath of a explosion and fire on 3366 Bernard Road in the Town of Charlotte Sunday morning. All occupants were able to get out of the house but suffered minor injuries.
Top: The Cassadaga Fire Department returned to the scene of the fire later in the afternoon because it was still smoldering. The department wanted to prevent the fire from rekindling.

First Battalion Commander Tony Faso said, "The fire departments did an excellent job containing the fire without injury to personnel."

The Chautauqua County Fire Investigation Team later determined the fire and explosion were caused by a natural gas leak inside the basement of the house.

At about 4:30 p.m., The Cassadaga Fire Department returned to the scene of the morning fire. The fire was still smoldering and several firefighters connected the hoses and applied more water to the basement area.

First Assistant Chief, Tim Cobb, Jr. of Cassadaga, who was also incident commander for the morning fire, said, "We don't want the fire to rekindle so we are monitoring the situation and making sure."