Cold Brook home destroyed in weekend blaze; fire officials say lightning storms are to blame

COLD BROOK- The Red Cross is assisting the owner of a home that was destroyed by flames over the weekend.

It happened at around 6:30 p.m. Saturday on State Route 8, Cold Brook, NY, according to Poland Fire Department.

When the call came in, several of Poland’s firefighters were just returning from marching in a nearby parade. By the time fire crews arrived, the home was fully engulfed in flames.

To make matters worse, emergency officials said there were several downed power lines along Route 8 from an earlier line of strong thunderstorms, which ultimately compromised the approach for firefighters from both ends of the home.

With the danger of downed wires and the flames raging so quickly, it soon became just an exterior attack for fire crews.

The blaze was eventually contained and under control.

As of this report, no injuries were mentioned, however; the Red Cross has been notified to assist the homeowner. A name or exact address were not provided.

Mutual aid, both for response and standby, included departments from Newport, Barneveld, Deerfield, Kuyahoora, Salisbury, Remsen, Schuyler, and Middleville.

Poland Fire Department said a likely cause of the blaze sparked from the previous round of battering thunderstorms. 

Image courtesy via Poland Fire Department.