MAN FOUND DEAD
AFTER CARLTON, NEW YORK MASSIVE FIRE. GAS CANS
AND 50-CALIBER SHELLS WERE EXPLODING DURING THE FIRE.
Saturday, Jan
24, 2015.
CARLTON, NY — A man was found dead following a structure
fire that started Friday afternoon on Route 98, Orleans County sheriff’s
deputies said.
Carlton firefighters were dispatched to 2086 Oak Orchard
Rd. (Route 98) about 1:40 p.m. A sheriff’s deputy on patrol arrived at the
scene within a minute of the call and reported the two-story dwelling fully
engulfed in fire.
A neighbor who was at the scene said 50-caliber shells
were exploding from inside the house and gas cans also exploded. Route 98 was
closed.
The owner and sole resident of the home could not
immediately be located and it was believed that he might be in the structure.
In addition to the Carlton Fire Department, seven other fire departments from
within the county were called to the scene. It was several hours before the
fire was completely extinguished.
Once the fire was completely out, a search was initiated
and shortly before 10 p.m., an individual was located in the basement of the
remaining structure, and pronounced dead by Orleans County Coroner Scott
Schmidt.
The body was subsequently removed and transported to the
Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office in Rochester, for autopsy and positive
identification.
In addition to the Sheriff’s Office, the incident
remains under investigation by the Orleans County Office of Emergency
Management and the state Office of Fire Prevention & Control. A State
Police K-9 team assisted with the search for the deceased.
Fire departments responding to the scene included
Albion, Barre, FHM (Fancher-Hulberton-Murray), Kendall, Lyndonville, Ridgeway
and Medina. Fire departments providing station fill-ins were Elba at Barre and
Shelby at Albion.