Couple exchange vows as guests fight house fire
by DAVID F. SHERMAN Managing Editor

Candles left burning for several hours are blamed for a $70,000 fire last Saturday afternoon at 388 Windermere Blvd. Firefighters from Eggertsville, North Bailey, Snyder and Kenilworth responded. Photo by Colleen Probst Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

It was no prank when one of the guests whispered a shocking message in the ear of the bride just before her wedding on Saturday afternoon.

"We have to go to a fire," said Mike Boehm, chief of the Eggertsville Hose Company.

"That's OK; I understand," calmly replied the bride, Allison Germano.

She understood because the man about to become her husband, waiting at the other end of aisle, Mike Flynn, is a captain in the same fire company.

Germano and Flynn were married during a 2 p.m. Mass at St. Benedict's Church. Many of those in attendance were also firefighters and although their pagers were silenced, they still got the message about a house fire through to the volunteers.

"I had my pager on the vibrate mode," said Boehm. "So did a lot of the others. Some of the younger guys got the page and looked around to see if they should go. Most of the older guys left to go to

Pictured outside the fire hall after the blaze on Windermere was extinguished are, from left, Don Page, Allison and Michael Flynn and Brandon Peters.

the hall."

Awaiting them at 388 Windermere Blvd., was a fire that originated in a rear Florida room. Sparked by candles left burning the night before, the fire was eating through the back wall of the house and spreading to the attic and attached garage.

"I saw it as soon as I came off Main Street and made the turn on to Windermere," Boehm recalled.

Twin City Ambulance medical personnel were two streets away, handling a call on Allenhurst Road, and confirmed the heavy smoke conditions that Boehm could see en route.

Knowing that many Eggertsville firefighters would be at the wedding and subsequent reception, Boehm had prepared for such an emergency. His plans called for North Bailey to respond alongside his company in the case of a major emergency.

The blaze was spreading rapidly and with many of the firefighters arriving in semiformal attire, Boehm ordered a second alarm. That brought in a firefighter assist and search team from Snyder as well as a standby crew from Kenilworth.

The homeowner, Peter Fernbach, was not at home at the time of the fire. Total damage was estimated at $70,000.

"We had plenty of people to handle the call," said Boehm. "It was a great daytime response, and the younger members did an exceptional job."

e-mail: dsherman@beenews.com