NEWS

Le Roy home destroyed in fire

John Spaulding

David Luetticke-Archbell was driving home from a Fourth of July campfire at the Le Roy campground he owns when he noticed a fire in the distance.

He said to himself, "God, I hope no one is hurt."

As he drove closer, shortly after midnight, he realized that it was his own home on North Road that was ablaze.

His partner, Greg, had already arrived at the house and tried to enter the home to save the family dog, Sadie — who is still missing — but was restrained by Genesee County Sheriff's Office due to the heat. Greg was later taken to the hospital for a medical condition as a precaution.

According to Le Roy fire chief Tom Woods, it appears that the fire began on the rear porch, possibly due to a defective battery charger, although a complete investigation is being conducted.

The fire destroyed the family's 1806 home that they had purchased about two years ago. The family of two adults and three children are accepting resources from the Red Cross. All of the family possessions were destroyed in the fire.

All they have are the clothes they were wearing.

According to Woods, part of a ceiling collapsed and necessitated the withdrawal of firefighters, who then had to work from the exterior. Additionally, there was a loud explosion from within the home that knocked a firefighter down as he attempted to enter the home. They also encountered several large liquefied petroleum gas containers, one of which was ablaze, on the east side of the building that posed a hazard.

Due to a lack of fire hydrants in the area, firefighters required a tanker shuttle. Twelve fire companies from three counties were on the scene bringing water from hydrants and a creek, both about a mile away. At one point, they ran out of water, halting the operation.

The Luetticke-Archbells are embroiled in a lawsuit with the town and several neighbors concerning the live music played at Frost Ridge Campground in Le Roy.

The fire is being investigated by the Le Roy Fire Department and Genesee County Emergency Management.