BRUSHTON — Firefighters from 10 departments fought to quell flames Friday afternoon when a fire ripped through a garage before spreading to a home, rendering both a total loss.
Crews were dispatched at about 12:30 p.m. to the Menke residence at 352 County Route 17, about two miles south of Barrette Road, where they continued to extinguish hot spots well into the evening.
Brushton Fire Chief Michael Barse said no one was home when a neighbor alerted authorities of smoke coming from the residence.
“As of right now the cause of the fire is still under investigation,” Barse said.
He said by the time his crew arrived at the scene shortly after receiving the call, the garage was full engulfed and that flames quickly spread to the home.
Barse said both the home and the garage are considered a total loss.
He estimated about close to 60,000 gallons of water was used to fully extinguish the flames.
Barse said he notified the Red Cross, and that the family was going to be staying in their camper for the time being.
Assisting Brushton Volunteer Fire Department were crews from Moira, Bangor, Dickinson, Bombay, Malone, Westville, Fort Covington, St. Regis Falls and Hogansburg.
Email Miranda Orso:
morso@pressrepublican.com
