Conflagration
takes 5 apartments
and two storefronts in Village block
Mid-Town – June 29, 2001
What was probably the largest fire in recent Village of Angola history consumed an apartment building late Friday afternoon, leaving it to be demolished.
The complex spans 27 and 29 North Main St. in the Village of Angola, in the Town of Evans, about 20 miles south of Buffalo, NY.
NEW PHOTOS ADDED 7/16/01 - Courtesy of JEFF WHITE/Evans
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| Evans Center's Command Vehicle and Engine 1 are in the foreground | Flames were showing from the first four windows on the left when Evans Center Asst. Chief Green arrived | A back draft reportedly occurred just after Engine 1 arrived and set up |
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| Firefighters quickly put water on the bulk of the fire | Despite several master streams, the fire rekindled and played firefighters for hours |
The Angola Fire Department was activated along with their first due mutual aid: the Evans Center Volunteer Fire Company. Evans Center Asst. Chief Bruce Green Jr. was the first officer to arrive on scene around 3pm and assumed initial command.
"We had fire showing from four of the top windows on the front side and people yelling that occupants were trapped," recalls Green. "A guy in a van pulled up in front of the building and took his extension ladder down off the rack of his truck. He placed it up to one of the windows and helped a woman out of her apartment. Then he got back in his truck and just drove off." The man was reportedly an employee of Adelphia Cable Co.
Although no one could account for one other tenant for quite a while, no civilians were killed or injured in the fire.
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| Fire destroyed the apartments above and heavily damaged the two storefronts | Flames were showing from the first four windows on the left when the first officer arrived | A large earth mover was brought in to begin demolition as soon as the fire was out. |
With 85 degree temperatures and the humidity level over 90%, it would be a hot, long exercise to bring the fire under control and crews would need frequent rotating.
As Angola Engine 2 pulled around the corner from Commercial St. and tapped the hydrant just to the east of the fire building, Evans Center Engine 1 pulled up in front of the building and started to set up for deck gun operations. Just after they arrived, heavy fire blew out of the front of the building into the street – forcing the relocation of the apparatus past the structure.
Evans Center Engine 3 pulled around the back of the building and attempted an attack up the rear stairway with a large 2-1/2" attack line. They were forced to pull out as flames rolled down the staircase on top of them. Angola Ladder 6 set up around the rear of the building in the event additional rescues might be necessary.
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| An attempt was made early on to get up the stairwell between the two storefronts but were futile due to the extreme heat and fire | Contents of the New Angola Variety Store were damaged by smoke, heat and water | Tarps were put down on the sidewalk across from the fire to manage equipment staging |
Green began to call for additional units to assist in the fire fight. A ladder tower from the Scranton Fire Company in Hamburg and Rapid Intervention Teams from Eden and Newton-Abbott were called to the scene. Firefighters from Lake Erie Beach, Highland, North Evans, Woodlawn, Big Tree, Lake View, Brant, and Farnham were called to the scene or for standbys at emptied fire stations. Over 100 firefighters would eventually be involved.
The Erie County Department of Emergency Services dispatched Deputy Fire Coordinator Jim Glass and Deputy Commissioner Dean Messing to offer assistance in coordinating resources. Terry Cooke, Radio Coordinator for Angola Fire Control assisted in the command post.
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| Angola Engine 2 connected to the hydrant in front of the building at 23 North Main St. | Scranton Ladder Tower 6 was used to rain water down on the apartment complex | Evans Center Engine 1 was forced to move past the building after heavy fire exploded from the front |
The fire self-vented through the roof early on in the conflagration and continued to roll through the building as thousands of gallons of water rained down on it from Scranton's ladder tower above and from large bore hand lines from the street. Firefighting efforts seemed to be effective in quelling the flames several times, only to have flare-ups rekindle the large volume of fire.
The fire was eventually called under control around 6pm with the bulk of the crews being released around 7:30pm. Angola firefighters remained on scene throughout the night and Main St. remained closed through Saturday.
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| Hundreds of residents and onlookers watched from across the street | Evans Center's Ladies Auxiliary brought food and refreshments to the scene | Evans Center Asst. Chief Green (left) with Erie County Asst. Fire Coordinator Jim Glass at the command post |
Erie County fire investigators had their work cut out for them, sifting through the rubble for clues as to what started the fire, and were back at the scene Saturday and Sunday. The investigation must be completed before the building can be fully demolished.
Evans Center's Ladies Auxiliary provided food and refreshments for the firefighters at the scene. Hundreds of Village residents and bystanders poured out to offer water and refreshments to the volunteers.
"This is our nightmare come true. Thank God for everybody who responded," said Village of Angola Mayor James Carlson, in an interview with The Buffalo News.
OFF-SITE NEWS:
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Firefighting is not for everyone – but volunteering can be. Evans Center offers limited duty memberships in the areas of Fire/Rescue only, Fire Police only, Emergency Medical Services Only, Water Rescue only, or Associate only. Associate members support the fire department through administrative, technology, fund-raising, clerical and other non-emergency business functions.
If you or anyone you know are interested in volunteering, please do not hesitate to contact the Evans Center Fire Company at 716/549-1221 or fill our our feedback form or e-mail to: info@ecvfc.org
