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The Firefighter Flames cause $ 1.5 million damage to Clarence home
by EMILY STOLL Courtesy Bee Group Newspapers
Clarence Center and Clarence Fire companies responded to a two-alarm house fire at 4:14 a . m . Saturday , Sept . 18 , at 5505 Thompson Road , Clarence , with assistance from other fire companies and agencies . Two calls initially reported the fire : one from the next-door neighbor to Amherst Fire Control , reporting fire on the side of a home , and one from an alarm company , relaying its subscriber ’ s report of a house fire . “ The roof line throughout half the house was already well involved upon arrival ,” said Chief Ben Hodge of Clarence Center Fire Company , and the garage was already fully involved . Hodge was first on the scene , arriving within four minutes according to Fire Buff NY , and requested the second alarm . Once the blaze was extin- guished , damages were estimated at $ 1.5 million – $ 1 million to the structure and $ 500,000 to its contents – but no injuries were reported . The homeowners said that the smoke woke them before their home alarm system went off . Hodge , who commanded operations as officer in charge of the incident , said that the garage and roof accounted for a large portion of the damage , but though the structure ’ s first and second floor were mostly intact , the home may need to be “ gutted ” due to significant smoke and water damage . Other assisting fire companies and assisting or involved agencies included Main Transit , Harris Hill , Swormville , East Amherst , Newstead , Akron and Rapids fire companies , as well as ECSD , New York State Police , Twin City Ambulance , Clarence Fire Inspectors Office , Erie County Fire Investigator , NYSEG and National Fuel .
PHOTO CREDIT : Brad Sprague
Lindenhurst pair honored by FASNY
On Oct . 19 , 2020 , a vehicle was traveling eastbound on Montauk Highway with two people inside when their car was struck by another vehicle , sending them into a canal . The Copiague Fire Department was alerted and the Lindenhurst Fire Department was activated for mutual aid . Second Lieutenant John Tighe was at his residence when he heard the crash and immediately rushed toward it . Firefighter Mark Miller was driving on Montauk Highway when he saw the car in the canal and immediately pulled over to help . The man driving was removed by bystanders as both Tighe and Miller arrived . They jumped into the water as the car sank with the second victim , an elderly woman , still inside the vehicle . With the car now submerged in eight to 10 feet of water , Tighe , Miller , a Suffolk County police officer and a civilian tried several times to break the car windows to reach the trapped victim . Miller attempted to break the windshield with a hammer , but it dropped into the water . He swam back to shore and was handed a cinder block . This time attempted to break the rear window , but the cinder block fell into the water . Miller then swam back to shore for a second cinder block and returned to the vehicle . This time , he was successful in breaking the rear window . At this point , Miller tried to enter , but there was an obstruction blocking the window . He then attempted to get in through the driver ’ s side window while Tighe continued to work on the rear window . After several attempts , Tighe was able to remove the obstruction from the rear window . He then made entry and successfully removed the victim from inside .