MOOERS — A man badly burned in a house fire on Tuesday morning was listed in critical condition late in the day.
Thomas Barlow was one of four who escaped the blaze at 2474 Route 11; he was transferred from CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh to Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington.
At about 6:30 a.m., when fire crews arrived at the fire just down the street from Mooers Fire Station, smoke was pouring from the home where Barlow lived with his wife, Wava, and two children, said Mooers Fire Chief Raymond Phair.
Mooers Volunteer Fire Department was helped by nine departments — from Champlain, West Chazy, Ellenburg Depot, Rouses Point, Altona, South Plattsburgh and Hemmingford, Quebec — working under frigid conditions with temperatures in the single digits.
At about 9 a.m., firefighters in ice-sheathed gear battled the blaze, using electric saws to vent the roof to give more space for smoke to exit. Crews remained on the scene until 11:30 a.m.
A neighbor served hot chocolate to the crews.
The fire's cause had yet to be determined, Phair said, but he knew the family lost heat in the middle of the night and had switched to electric heaters.
Phair said he believed the fire started on the first floor and traveled up. He said the damage was too great, and the structure is considered to be a total loss.
Phair said he was told Barlow suffered the burns after returning to the home to retrieve his wallet.
Clinton County Deputy Fire Coordinator Chris Trombley said fire investigators were looking into what sparked the blaze that badly damaged the white wood-frame home.
Among those fighting the fire was Mark Trombley, who was at work when he heard the fire call.
He owns a house next door to the Barlows; his son lives there, he said, so he had more than one reason to hurry there.
That residence, though close to the burning home, was untouched by the flames.
The Red Cross did reach out to the Mooers Fire Station, offering their support to the family displaced by the fire.
— Contributing Writer Miranda Orso added to this report
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