PORTLAND - Numerous volunteer fire departments in the county were called to an early morning house fire at 8757 Pecor St. in Portland.
At least one female occupant was home during the time of the 2:45 a.m. fire but she escaped without injury. At least one pet has been confirmed dead from the fire.
According to Portland Fire Chief Dave McIntyre, 13 departments responded to the blaze. Upon arrival the fire was "fully involved," he said. The cause of the fire is still under investigation but McIntyre was told a defective chimney could be the cause.
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OBSERVER Photo by Chip Riewaldt
This house at 8757 Pecor St., Portland caught fire around 2:45 a.m.
"A defective snow pipe or chimney was what (fire investigators) were narrowing it down to," he said.
The fire department was having problems with water supply, so other departments were called in for their tanker trucks. The problem was resolved shortly.
"Once we got all the department tanker trucks set up, we were sending them home," McIntyre said.
It is unclear if more than the female occupant lived in the home at the time or if another pet had died. No firefighters were harmed. A hose from Portland Fire Department did get damaged following a tractor trailer driving over the hose.
Firefighters were on scene battling the fire for almost three hours. All departments had left the scene by 8:30 a.m. Route 20 at Pecor Street was closed for about three hours while departments were at the scene.
The home suffered damage and smoke damage on the second story and the roof. The back section of the house was heavily damaged, according to McIntyre.
Other fire departments assisting Portland were Brocton, Fredonia, Stockton, West Dunkirk, East Dunkirk, Mayville, Dewittville, Westfield and Ripley fire departments. East Dunkirk Fire brought their rehab unit. The County Fire Police and County Fire Investigative Unit were also on scene.
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