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TOWN OF JOHNSTOWN — Fire crews from across the area battled a fierce house fire near the Adirondack Park in the town of Johnstown early Monday morning.
No injuries were reported. The house was unoccupied at the time emergency crews were first contacted, 4:02 a.m. It was not clear how many residents lived at the 187 Willie Road dwelling.
“It had a lot of fire showing on arrival,” said Ralph Palcovic, fire coordinator at the Fulton County Office of Emergency Management. “There was a strong initial attack that knock a lot of it down, but it had spread through the attic area, which caused some complications.”
Electric and gas utilities were turned off.
Crews struggled to take out the inferno due to humidity- and heat-induced exhaustion, according to Palcovic.
“With the air effects and suppression, it wears people out faster and it was humid [Monday] morning so heat plays into the stress factor and safety of firefighters,” Palcovic said.
The fire was suppressed around 6:30 a.m. Investigators took over the operation at about 7 a.m.
As a result of the damage, the structure is likely unsalvageable, Palcovic said. Some goods left behind are still intact.
The cause of the blaze is still under investigation. So far, it hasn’t been deemed suspicious.
Sitting adjacent to the Peck Hill State Forest less than two miles away from the Caroga-Johnstown town line is the rural property.
Caroga Lake, Sir William Johnson and Pleasant Square fire squads assisted on the scene, along with ambulance personnel from the St. Johnsville. Meco Fire Company was the lead agency.
Tyler A. McNeil can be reached at 518-395-3047 or [email protected]. Follow him on Facebook at Tyler A. McNeil, Daily Gazette or Twitter @TylerAM
