PJFD Hook & Ladder Truck #7 assisted in putting out a stubborn chimney fire on Seward Avenue on Saturday.

PORTJERVIS, NY- Port Jervis and other firefighting units were called to assist with a stubborn chimney fire on Seward Avenue last night.

Port Jervis Fire Chief Donald E. DeVore, Jr. said,
“The fire was quite hot and stubborn. Fortunately, no injuries occurred; but the residence sustained some damage and bricks from the partially-collapsed chimney broke a window next door and caused some damage to a parked car.”

DeVore said units from Port Jervis and Matamoras’ FAST team responded to the scene, while Sparrowbush, Matamoras, Greenville, and Huguenot units remained on standby.

Also on Saturday, Port Jervis units were called to a stove fire on Clark Street and an electrical fire on Kingston Avenue

December 15, 2004
 Port Jervis A relentless, wind-driven fire tore through three Pike Street buildings yesterday afternoon, drawing as many as 25 fire departments to the scene.
   The stubborn blaze, near the intersection of Pike Street and East Main Street, destroyed three businesses “ Good Friends Chinese Restaurant, Computer Wizards and Port Jervis Pizza. Several apartments in the buildings were also gutted.
   No one was injured in the blaze, officials said.
   Responding to the initial call about 2 p.m., firefighters battled freezing temperatures and icy winds for hours trying to knock down the tenacious blaze.
   Huge plumes of water from three ladder trucks and a boom-mounted water cannon flooded the burning buildings, covering the street and the heavy coats of already frozen and tired firefighters with a thin layer of ice.
   Wide-eyed residents crowded sidewalks and leaned out of apartment windows to watch the action. Leroy Chaney, who lives near the site of the blaze, said he saw what he called a herd of people running from the buildings as the fire spread.
   "It looked like the fire was jumping from one window to another," Chaney said. Peter Petal, who recently purchased the DB Mart at the corner of Pike and East Main just feet from the pizza parlor, watched the fire's progress anxiously. Fearing that his building would be another casualty of the all-consuming blaze, Patel sent his staff home and locked the doors.
   "When I came outside, people were on the third floor of the pizza place throwing things, like picture frames, from the windows," Patel said. "Thank God everybody got out."
   Within minutes of the first call, the smoke had already blanketed the city and could be seen as far away as the top of Greenville Mountain.
   The northerly winds proved to be a firefighter's worst nightmare, turning what might have been a routine blaze into a howling firestorm. Virgil Gregory, 17, stood by as the fire virtually exploded through the buildings.
   "The flames had to be 20 feet high," Gregory said. "You couldn't see the firefighters because the smoke was so thick. He motioned toward other buildings on the block, adding: "If they didn't get here in time that building, the whole block could have gone up. There would have been nothing left."
   Jim Rohner, deputy fire coordinator for Orange County, said the rapid spread of the blaze, first reported as a fire in the basement of the Chinese restaurant, was a big problem for firefighters.
   "The fire spread extremely rapidly through the first and second floor in a matter of moments," Rohner said. "This whole thing could have been a lot more catastrophic than it was. These buildings are less than three feet apart, and there are a lot of other buildings nearby."
   The fast-spreading blaze also posed water problems for firefighters. Port Jervis fire officials activated their tanker task force, a group of 13 tankers from surrounding departments that ferried water to the fire from the Delaware River.
   "If we're drawing in the millions of gallons of water, as we are here, it puts a big strain on the city's water system," Rohner said.
   Hours after the blaze started, thick smoke hung over downtown. Normally tangled rush-hour traffic turned chaotic as detours forced drivers to weave their way through the city on side streets.
   Rohner said it could take days for investigators to determine the cause of the fire, the second major blaze to hit downtown Port Jervis this year.
   A Jan. 19 fire destroyed the landmark Colonial Inn on West Main Street.
   
 

Times Herald-Record/MICHELE HASKELL 12-14-04 Firefighters battle the flames shooting out of the Good Friends Chinese Restaurant on Pike Street in Port Jervis. The fire jumped to two other buildings more than 100 firefighters from three states battled the blaze.

Times Herald-Record/MICHELE HASKELL 12-14-04 Firefighters battle the flames between the Port Jervis Pizza and Computer Wizards building on Pike Street. The fire which started in the Good Friends Chinese Restaurant jumped over to the other buildings.

A fire erupted at the Upper Mill shopping complex yesterday in Milford, causing heavy damage to several businesses in the historic building.
   The blaze broke out shortly after noon in the attic of Gifford and White, a gift shop, said Milford Fire Department Chief Robert Hutchinson.
   Smoke and water damaged adjoining shops, including the Water Wheel Cafe and a clothing store, Denege's, before the fire was contained.
   Firefighters from Westfall, Matamoras, and Dingman brought the blaze under control in about an hour. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

A fire early yesterday destroyed a weekend home at Pocono Woodland Lakes in Milford Township, keeping dozens of fire volunteers at the scene for seven hours.
  A neighbor called the Pike County Communications Center at 12:50 a.m. to report that the home, owned by Wasyl Selepouchin of Cedar Grove, N.J., was burning, said Milford Fire Chief Red Helms.
  A State Police fire marshall inspected the site. As of last night, the cause had not been determined, Helms said.
  Seventy-five to 100 volunteers from Milford, Matamoras, Westfall, Delaware, Upper Dingman, Shohola and Montague, N.J., came to the scene with manpower and equipment, including tanker trucks to supply water for hose lines.
  The last firefighters didn't return to their stations until 8:15 a.m., Helms said.
  A Milford volunteer, Danielle Long, suffered minor injuries from a fall at the scene. She was treated at Mercy Community Hospital and released

MATAMORAS, Pa.: Five people were injured in a car-truck crash on Interstate 84.
Four people were injured yesterday morning when the car they were in was pinned under a tractor-trailer on Interstate 84 during a heavy rainfall.
    A white Honda Civic was approaching Exit 11 heading into Matamoras when the driver tried to switch lanes and collided with the tractor-trailer, according to State Police in Blooming Grove, Pa.
    The Civic, which had Connecticut plates, struck the bridge then re-entered the roadway and collided with the trailer a second time. It was trapped under the rear wheels of the trailer.
    Two of the people in the car were flown by helicopter to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., according to Elliott's Ambulance Service. The two other people were taken by ambulance to Mercy Community Hospital in Port Jervis, N.Y. Names and conditions were not released.
    The condition of the truck driver, Lester L. Metzger, has also not been disclosed.
    Police said the injuries appeared serious.
    Parts of I-84 were shut down after the accident.
    Matamoras and Westfall fire departments, Port Jervis Ambulance Corps and Elliott's Ambulance Service of Middletown, N.Y., were all on hand.
     Police said the investigation is ongoing.