By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG
Mother, baby escape Beekmantown home before blaze causes damage
BEEKMANTOWN -- A family of four will be staying with relatives after an electrical fire damaged their Durand Road home Thursday morning.
Beekmantown firefighters were just heading back from a car accident on Route 22 when they were called out to Shane and Jen Delarm's home, where smoke had begun to billow inside the living room.
"We were around the corner, so we were able to get there in less than two minutes," Beekmantown Fire Chief Steven Trombley said shortly after the 11 a.m. fire.
"There wasn't anything showing when we got there, but by the time I got to the door, I could see the fire coming out of the entertainment system."
He said Mrs. Delarm was about to leave the residence when she spotted the smoke.
She and her infant son, Cayden, who were the only ones home at the time, escaped, and she called 911 before the fire really erupted.
As crews from District 3, West Chazy and Rescue Hose 5 fire departments headed to the ranch-style home, local firefighters were able to extinguish the growing flames.
Trombley said their fast actions saved the home from extensive damage, though a portion of the living room and some of the family's possessions were scorched by the fire.
"We had an excellent save. There could have been a lot more damage if we weren't right there."
He believed a malfunctioning appliance, possibly a stereo, sparked the blaze, which left the residence with smoke, water and heat damage.
Trombley said the Delarms, who also have an 11-year-old daughter, Mikayla, will be staying with relatives in the area as they recover from the fire.
He said their home is in need of repairs but can be salvaged.
avanvalkenburg
@pressrepublican.com
