A 2 1/2-story house in the City of Dunkirk's Second Ward was extensively damaged by fire early Tuesday. City Fire Chief Nick Barter says his department responded to the blaze at 49 West 5th Street shortly before 2:15 AM and found flames venting from the first-floor windows on the West 5th Street and Canary Street side of the single-family home. Barter says crews made an aggressive interior attack using multiple hose lines, but they had to reposition and fight the fire from the outside due to the amount of initial manpower and intensity of the flames. Barter says approximately 40 firefighters took 2 1/2 hours to bring the blaze under control. All eight occupants of the home were able to escape, with three requiring medical attention at Brooks Memorial Hospital. Multiple animals also perished in the fire, which also caused minor damage to a neighboring house at 47 West 5th Street. Barter says city and county fire investigators determined that the cause of the fire was electrical in nature. The Red Cross is assisting all occupants impacted. Firefighters from Fredonia, East Dunkirk, Sheridan and Bay Creek provided mutual aid. Dunkirk Police, Alstar EMS, Chautauqua County EMS, Chautauqua County Office of Emergency Services, National Grid, National Fuel, City of Dunkirk Code Enforcement and the city's Public Works and Water departments were also at the scene.
Photos by the Bay Creek Fire District
