Fire heavily damaged a home in Esperance Friday night and claimed a garage in Richmondville early Monday morning.
The fire at the home of James Palmiter at 3795 Route 20 in Esperance started in a rear addition of the home, according to Schoharie County Fire Coordinator Matt Brisley.
A Carlisle firefighter was seriously injured in fighting the blaze.
The firefighter was operating on an extension ladder and when he turned on the hose, the pressure caused him to fall off the ladder, Coordinator Brisley said. He suffered compound and non-compound fractures in his back and spent three nights at Albany Medical Center but was "in good spirits."
The rear addition was destroyed, Coordinator Brisley added. The fire spread to the attic and the second floor of the old wooden farmhouse. Those areas suffered substantial damage and the rest of the home received smoke and water damage. The home is not habitable.
It was tough to get to the location of the fire, Coordinator Brisley noted. In addition, there were reports that the second floor was getting weak so firefighters had to battle the fire from the Middleburgh ladder truck until they could find a safe spot on the second floor.
In addition, it was very cold the night of the fire. The highway crew put salt down but "there was ice everywhere," Coordinator Brisley said.
About 60 firefighters from 10 companies fought the fire, which was called in at 7:35pm.
Responding to the call were firefighters from Esperance, Central Bridge, Carlisle, Schoharie, Middleburgh, Burtonsville, Duanesburg, Delanson, Quaker Street, and Sharon Springs.
The fire was termed accidental and may have been caused by a malfunctioning circular saw or a spark thrown from the saw in a pile of sawdust, Coordinator Brisley added.
Firefighters were on the scene until around 1:30am and then return to the location for a rekindle in a nearby barn at about 4:30am, he added.
On Monday morning, firefighters were called to a fire on Holmes Street in Richmondville, about a half block from Main Street.
The call came in at about 5:25am, according to Coordinator Brisley. They were on the scene for about three and a half hours.
The fire totally destroyed a 30-by-50-foot workshop/garage, he said.
The fire spread to a neighbor's garage and damaged it but firefighters were able to save that building, he added. The blaze also melted some siding on the owner's house and damaged some nearby vehicles.
There were no injuries Coordinator Brisley reported, though it was very icy.
The cause has not been determined but it could have been an outdoor wood boiler in the garage or ash barrels, he added.
Firefighters from Richmondville, Summit, and Cobleskill were on the scene.