Press release
On Saturday, November 9, 2024, at 07:47 a.m., the Genesee County Dispatch Center dispatched the City of Batavia Fire Department to a report of large quantities of black smoke coming from the building at 20 Howard Street. Upon opening the truck bay doors to respond, Fire Captain Mike Morris requested a second alarm due to the size of the smoke coming from the area. Upon arrival, they found the structure significantly involved in fire and Captain Morris now Incident Command, determined protecting close exposures was the primary objective and requested a third alarm. This resulted in only minor damage to an adjacent building. Chief Graham arrived shortly after and assumed Incident Command.
The initial response crews worked on scene for roughly 12 hours, with a single crew staying on scene until 10pm. Due to the difficulty with access and size of the structure, crews were working on and off for the next 4 days. This also included the use of East Pembroke Fire Departments utility vehicle, which aided us in being able to get to hard to reach spots.
The Fire Investigation Team included Captain Jamie Call, Captain Michael Morris, and Firefighter Christina Marinaccio. They worked an extensive amount of time sifting through and analyzing the scene as well as the data. The team was able to determine the area of origin, in the southwest corner of the structure, however, due to the amount of damage were not able to definitively conclude the cause. As such it has been deemed undetermined.
I applaud the fire investigation team for their tireless work as well as all of the crews that responded to this incident. There were two minor injuries to a city firefighter on scene. They were seen by Mercy EMS and returned to continue fighting the fire shortly after.
The City of Batavia Fire Department was assisted by the City of Batavia Police Department, Genesee County Emergency Dispatch Center, the Town of Batavia Fire Department, the Leroy Fire Department, Stafford Fire Department, East Pembroke Fire Department, Mercy EMS, Genesee County Office of Emergency Management, City of Batavia DPW, City Manager, Assistant City Manager, City of Batavia Codes Department, NYS DEC, National Grid, and National Fuel