Funeral Arrangements Announced for Retired Broome Fire Coordinator

Funeral services are being announced for Broome County’s long-time Director of Emergency Services and Fire Coordinator, Michael Aswad. According to an obituary posted by Osterhoudt-Madden Funeral Home on October 24, calling hours will be held at Saint Francis Assisi Church on Chenango Street, Hillcrest Saturday, November 6 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. followed by a Memorial Mass. Masks are required. According to the obituary, Aswad died Wednesday, October 20 at his home at the age of 71. Broome County Executive Jason Garnar noted Aswad was Broome’s first full-time Fire Coordinator, serving from 1981 until his retirement in 2006. Garnar also credited Aswad with modernizing the County Office of Emergency Services, consolidating dispatch operations and initiating new training programs that have been held as models in other parts of New York State.
WNBF-AM 1290 Binghamton

Two injured in Downtown Brooklyn blaze at Tony Luke’s Philly Cheesesteaks

A massive fire broke out in Downtown Brooklyn Monday night, causing extensive damage to both a local cheesesteak shop and the offices of a major family service organization. First responders arrived on the scene at 2 Nevins St. just before 11:30 pm to find heavy fire conditions after an alleged explosion in the basement of the mixed-occupancy building, home to SCO Family of Services and the adjoining Tony Luke’s Philly Cheesesteaks. The explosion reportedly occurred in the basement of Tony Luke’s. Firefighters carried two victims out onto Nevins Street, near the corner of Flatbush and Fulton avenues, where paramedics administered live-saving aid before transporting them to the Burn Center at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell hospital in Manhattan. Their conditions were not immediately known Tuesday morning.
Brooklyn Paper

Rochester firefighters: People attempted to run back into burning home, cats still missing

Rochester Fire crews say people living in a house on Park Avenue were not hurt following a Sunday night fire, but they did put themselves in harm's way to try and get their pets. RFD says it received a call for a structure fire just before 8:15 p.m. The reports said there was smoke inside of the home with people exiting. Acting Deputy Chief James Hartman said the people in the home told 911 operators they were going to go back in to get their cats, despite the operator telling them it was a dangerous move. As a result, fire officials said it was a heightened response because of the strong possibility one of the individuals would become trapped. "There was an issue because the people from the house said they wanted to go back into the house to grab some pets, which we do not recommend," Hartman said.
Rochester First

1 Person Injured After Car Struck, Pinned Under Train In Bayport

One person was seriously injured Tuesday after a Long Island Railroad train hit and pinned a car in Bayport, MTA police said. According to MTA police, a 10:22 a.m. westbound Montauk branch train from Patchogue, due in Babylon at 10:52 a.m., hit an unauthorized vehicle on Bayport Avenue Crossing. The car and at least one passenger were heavily lodged under the train, and it took Bayport firefighters and police 18 minutes to rescue them from the vehicle, the Bayport Fire Department said. The passenger was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital, where they are being treated with advanced life support and are in serious condition, Community Ambulance said. No commuters onboard the train or the train engineer were injured, EMS said.
Sayville-Bayport Patch

NYC deals with illegal basement apartment weather concerns

VIDEO: In September, Tropical Storm Ida devastated New York even though the city had done a lot since Superstorm Sandy to improve infrastructure and resiliency. As a nor’easter drenched the region Monday into Tuesday, many in basement apartments shared their concerns about safety. Several residents of basement apartments drowned during Ida. Hollis, Queens resident Ragendra Shivprasad barely got any sleep last night as she watched ands waited to see if rain water would rush into her basement. Mayoral candidates Eric Adams and Curtis Sliwa shared their takes on the issue of basement apartments at risk during inclement weather. Adams, in the recent mayoral debate, called for a three-step forecast system warning residents and city agencies of the threat and a plan to more quickly warn those living in flood-prone basement apartments, particularly illegal cellar apartments without ample exits.
WPIX-TV CW 11 New York

Man found unconscious in Syracuse apartment during fire, firefighters say

A man was found unconscious in a Syracuse apartment building Sunday morning while a fire burned in the third floor of the building, according to a news release from the Syracuse Fire Department. The man was taken to Upstate University Hospital and the fire department did not know his condition, according to the news release. At 8:50 a.m. Sunday, firefighters responded to 525 Oak St., between James Street and Highland Avenue, for a reported fire. Firefighters could see smoke coming from a third-floor apartment, forced their way into the apartment and found a man who was unconscious, the department said. The victim was taken from the apartment by an ambulance to the hospital, according to fire officials. The smoke came from “unattended cooking” and no other apartments were affected by the fire, fire officials said.
Syracuse Post-Standard & Syracuse.com

Update: Grand Jury Indicts Father, Son for Manslaughter in Deadly Rockland County Adult Home Fire

A Rockland County grand jury has handed down an indictment against a father and son on multiple charges including second-degree manslaughter in connection with the deadly March fire at an adult home, News 4 has learned. Nathaniel and Aaron Sommer, a Rabbi and his son, have denied any wrongdoing in the fire that killed a volunteer firefighter and elderly resident of the Evergreen Court Home for Adults. The facility maintains that the two were independent contractors. The father-and-son duo had been performing a pre-Passover cleaning ritual that involves heating kitchen utensils to burn off traces of forbidden food. Records show that the Evergreen Court fire was reported about 90 minutes after Nathaniel and Aaron Sommer had left the facility after preparing the kitchen for Passover, the Journal News previously reported.
WNBC-TV NBC 4 New York

Officers shoot woman in Tipp Hill home after she lunged with knives at them, firefighter, AG’s office says

Four Syracuse police officers fired the shots that killed a woman Wednesday in a Tipperary Hill home, according to the state Attorney General’s Office. The 33-year-old woman had lunged at the officers and a firefighter with knives, according to a spokeswoman for the AG’s office. She said the information is preliminary and could change as the shooting is investigated. The four officers have not yet been named by Syracuse police. Normally, the department releases the names of officers in such cases within about 72 hours. A police department spokesman said the department is not releasing information because the AG’s office requested all inquiries go through the state agency. Allison Lakie, 33, was shot after officers tried to talk to her inside the home, according to the AG’s office.
Syracuse Post-Standard & Syracuse.com

Police: 2 people dead following Tupper Lake camper fire

Two people were found dead following a camper fire Saturday in the town of Tupper Lake, according to state police. Troopers report responding to a fire on Pitchfork Pond Road at approximately 10:30 a.m. An initial investigation revealed campers in the area were driving past site No. 8 on the roadway and discovered a tow-behind camper destroyed by fire. Responding fire departments found two bodies in the debris, later identified as 53-year-old Thomas Smiddy and 48-year-old Kerry Jacobs, both of Fort Covington. Autopsies are pending to determine a cause of death for both. Tupper Lake and Piercefield fire departments were dispatched to the scene. An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, according to police.
WPTZ-TV NBC 5 Burlington

Barneveld fire chief says it’s important to heed warnings after juveniles become trapped on the water

On Friday the Barneveld fire department received a call for a water rescue. Everybody was ok, but those tense, uncertain moments might have been avoidable. The call came in around 5:30 for two juveniles stranded on some rocks in the West Canada Creek near the lower Trenton Falls Dam. The two had been fishing when the water suddenly started to rise. Unable to reach the victims, the Barneveld fire department asked for assistance from the Oriskany fire department’s swift water rescue team which was able to bring the two teens to safety. Barneveld Fire Chief Kevin Kalk says it's very important to know your surroundings and to pay close attention to any signs of danger. “If you're doing any kind of recreational activities like fishing, tubing, or just hanging out by a hydro dam, they will do controlled releases of water. When they do that, there is a siren and a strobe light that activates to notify people in the area.”
WKTV-TV NBC/CBS/CW+ 2 Utica