Third fire in Smithville devastates home
SMITHVILLE – A Smithville family has had three fires on their property in a four day time span, and fire officials said the causes of the fires are still under investigation.
Each fire occurred on the same property at 993 County Road 3 in Smithville with different structures on the property catching fire at different times.
According to Chenango County Bureau of Fire Coordinator Matthew Beckwith, the first fire was reported at approximately 2:10 p.m. on Saturday in the Miller family's garage.
Beckwith said the second fire located in the family's barn was reported around seven hours later.
He said the most recent fire in the family's attic was reported at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning, and each call was made by the Miller family.
"All I can say is that it's active investigation at this point," said Beckwith. "However it is unusual for three fires to occur on the same property in four days."
One of the victims, Tim Miller, spoke on the recent fires, and said his family didn't cause these fires.
"I just wanted to make the record clear, I’ve heard about people saying we’re the ones who started the fire, but we’re not," said Miller. "We don’t have any homeowner’s insurance and we’ve lost 25 goats to these fires."
He said this is an extremely difficult time for his family, but he wanted to thank the fire departments for all of their help.
Another family member of the victims', Elizabeth Janczak, said the second fire may have been caused by an ember on a truck that was moved away from the garage following the fire.
Janczak said the family believed an ember from the first fire in their garage may have ignited another fire in their barn.
“I think an ember may have been on the truck, and it caused hay in the barn, and then the barn itself to catch fire,” said Janczak.
She said the barn was being used as a home for their goats, and a number of goats died in the fire.
“The barn had a milker for the goats, food, and medicine in it during the fire, along with an award winning goat that belonged to my nephew,” said Janczak. “His heart was broken.”
Pictured: After losing his home to a third fire, Tim Miller received some good news as Chenango County Bureau of Fire Coordinator Matthew Beckwith saved one of Miller's cats from within the house. (Zachary Meseck Photo)
Each fire occurred on the same property at 993 County Road 3 in Smithville with different structures on the property catching fire at different times.
According to Chenango County Bureau of Fire Coordinator Matthew Beckwith, the first fire was reported at approximately 2:10 p.m. on Saturday in the Miller family's garage.
Beckwith said the second fire located in the family's barn was reported around seven hours later.
He said the most recent fire in the family's attic was reported at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning, and each call was made by the Miller family.
"All I can say is that it's active investigation at this point," said Beckwith. "However it is unusual for three fires to occur on the same property in four days."
One of the victims, Tim Miller, spoke on the recent fires, and said his family didn't cause these fires.
"I just wanted to make the record clear, I’ve heard about people saying we’re the ones who started the fire, but we’re not," said Miller. "We don’t have any homeowner’s insurance and we’ve lost 25 goats to these fires."
He said this is an extremely difficult time for his family, but he wanted to thank the fire departments for all of their help.
Another family member of the victims', Elizabeth Janczak, said the second fire may have been caused by an ember on a truck that was moved away from the garage following the fire.
Janczak said the family believed an ember from the first fire in their garage may have ignited another fire in their barn.
“I think an ember may have been on the truck, and it caused hay in the barn, and then the barn itself to catch fire,” said Janczak.
She said the barn was being used as a home for their goats, and a number of goats died in the fire.
“The barn had a milker for the goats, food, and medicine in it during the fire, along with an award winning goat that belonged to my nephew,” said Janczak. “His heart was broken.”
Pictured: After losing his home to a third fire, Tim Miller received some good news as Chenango County Bureau of Fire Coordinator Matthew Beckwith saved one of Miller's cats from within the house. (Zachary Meseck Photo)
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