Discarded ashes blamed for house fire
Oakwood Drive
by DAVID F. SHERMAN Managing Editor

Main-Transit firefighters had to avoid arcing power lines while battling a $200,000 house fire Monday night. Photo by David F. Sherman Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

For the second time in four months, carelessly discarded fireplace ashes have been blamed for a disastrous house fire in Amherst.

Shortly before 9:30 Monday night, a fire was reported in a sprawling ranch house at 80 Oakwood Drive. Main-Transit firefighters found heavy fire conditions at the rear of the home.

As they began to fight the blaze, power lines connected to the rear of the building began to arc, lighting the night sky. The hazard was evidenced by sparks which shot from metal gutters all around the home.

A crew from National Grid arrived within 15 minutes and cut power to the building, allowing firefighters to extinguish the remaining fire in the attic and rear porch area.

A crew from the Snyder Fire Department also responded as a Firefighter Assist and Search Team.

Four months ago, a home at 299 Frankhauser Road was gutted by a fire traced to carelessly discarded fireplace ashes. The home was later demolished.

The house fire on Oakwood Drive was not the only emergency to which Main-Transit volunteers responded on Monday.

A National Grid truck is enveloped in flames after coming in contact with high voltage lines on Wehrle Drive Monday afternoon. The fire could not be extinguished until the power was shut off. Photo courtesy Main-Transit Fire Department

A truck fire was reported at 10:47 a.m. at 2187 Wehrle Drive, the site of a utility substation.

Chief Robert Karl said the elevated boom of a National Grid truck came in contact with overhead high voltage wires, triggering a fire which spread to the truck body itself.

Because the truck was energized by electric current, firefighters could only watch and wait for the power to be cut. Wehrle Drive was closed for approximately three hours until the fire could be extinguished and all hazards eliminated.

Damage to the vehicle and equipment on board was estimated at $215,000. An estimated 800 customers temporarily lost power because of the incident.