Fire destroys Constable home

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A two-story house and attached garage were reduced to a pile of rubble following a Tuesday night blaze in Constable that was fought for six hours by eight fire departments. Denise Raymo

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October 1, 2008

<a href="mailto:draymo@pressrepublican.com">By DENISE RAYMO</a> The Press Republican Wed Oct 01, 2008, 03:02 PM EDT

CONSTABLE — A Constable man lost his house and possessions Tuesday when fire ripped through 15739 Route 30.

Jonathan Lavoie was not home when the fire was first reported by a passerby. His misery was compounded when his safe was stolen from the front yard after the fire.

Firefighters from eight departments battled the flames for six hours, and some were called back at 3 a.m. Wednesday for another 90 minutes when the place rekindled.

The initial fire call went out for Constable firefighters at 4:41 p.m. and was followed three minutes later by a request for crews from Malone, Burke, Fort Covington and Chateaugay.

Because of the size of the structure and the attached garage, a call went out 30 minutes after that for even more firefighters.

Canadian crews from Hitchinbrook, Godmanchester and Huntingdon, Quebec, soon arrived to help bring the blaze under control.

“The house was almost fully involved” when Constable firefighters arrived, said Second Assistant Chief Todd Sweet.

He said the two-story house and garage covered about 3,200 square feet.

Lavoie had firefighters put some of his rescued items, including a safe, on the lawn so he could pick them up later Wednesday. When he returned to his home, the safe, which contained about $1,450 in cash, was gone.

A mobile home stored nearby was not damaged in the blaze, but the south-facing side of a clump of trees was scorched and burnt.

The twisted metal of a vehicle could be seen in the wreckage, as well as parts to a tractor, lawn mowers, appliances, tires and other material.

Two pickup trucks full of goods parked in the yard were also undamaged.

But a split-rail fence surrounding the front of the property was mashed into the ground in sections.

Deep trenches were still visible in the mud where an excavator had knocked down the remains of the burning home to control the fire.

Sweet said no cause has been determined Wednesday.

Franklin County Cause and Origin Team Senior Investigator Mike McMahan said the answer may never be known since the place collapsed in on itself and was too dangerous to enter.

It’s been tough times in that neighborhood recently.

Lavoie’s home was situated about 100 yards north of the site where a brother and sister were seriously injured when their vehicle collided with a Malone Central School bus on Sept. 15. Hannah and Ross Barber are still recovering from their injuries.

E-mail Denise A. Raymo at:

draymo@pressrepublican.com