OSWEGO, NY – Officials are investigating the cause of the fire that struck the abandoned Hammermill site this morning (April 17).
The Oswego Fire Department responded to a structure fire at the former Hammermill Paper Company property, according to Chief Jeff McCrobie.
Units arrived on the scene at 4:39 a.m. and reported smoke and fire coming from a structure on the west end of the property on the shore of Lake Ontario.
Additional manpower was called from the city of Oswego as well as the towns of Minetto, Scriba and Oswego Town.
Crews were able to gain access to the structure and knock fire down, the chief said.
The fire was reported knocked down at 6:33 a.m.
“The difficulty in this fire was the distance from hydrants to the structure, literally hundreds of feet away, thus needing more manpower and equipment, in particular supply hose to feed our apparatus,” McCrobie explained. “The building appears to have been used for office space during the company’s operation. The city of Oswego Cause and Origin team is currently investigating.”
No injuries were reported.
Demolition contractors reportedly sparked two fires at the site, one in the fall of 2004 and the other the following January.
An electrical short in an unused forklift caused a large blaze in October 2005.
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I worked in this place…looks like maybe another insurance payout for the owner. I would not doubt every fire that happened there was arson.
The Chief Failed to Mention that Menter and Mcfee Ambulance were Covering the City of Oswego Ambulance calls because they Had no one to run their Ambulances.
He mentioned all the fire Depts. but a Thank You to the Ambulance Services would of been nice, Or didnt he want the City to know they cant handle fires and Medical calls at the same time?