Fred Stabbert III | Democrat FIRE INVESTIGATORS JOE Maxwell, left, and Jim Collins carefully inspect the charred remains of an upstairs room to try and determine what caused Sunday monring's fire at 2 Starck Lane in Callicoon.

Early morning fire sends two to hospital with burns

By Fred Stabbert III
CALLICOON — An early morning fire on Sunday sent two people to the Catskill Regional Medical Center with burns as firemen from eight Western Sullivan fire companies battled the blaze for more than five hours.
“I can tell you the alarm went out exactly at midnight,” Callicoon Fire Chief Willie Maxwell said. “It was a working structure fire when we arrived and all the people were already out of the house.”
The house, located at 2 Starck Lane, is owned by Karan Garewell, who rented the property to a local family. Starck Lane connects Viaduct Rd. with Route 97.
Because of the nature of the emergency, it was unclear how many people were actually living in the house, but emergency personnel said at least three people were home at the time of the fire – a girl and two boys.
Two of the occupants received burns and were transported by MobileMedic to CRMC in Harris where they were stabilized and, according to hospital officials, airlifted by StatFlight to a burn treatment center.
According to a fireman at the scene, a young girl received second degree burns to her hands and arms and a young boy had a burn on his forehead. All three were also treated for smoke inhalation.
Back at the fire scene, water was priority one, and firemen used the Callicoon hydrant system and the Callicoon Creek to get water to the blaze. Water then had to be ferried by tankers to the scene. A Hortonville fireman, who was one of many operating a water tanker, said he brought 21,000 gallons of water to the fire.
“Once we got set up, everything went smoothly,” Maxwell said. “We had help from Hortonville, Hankins, Equinunk, Lake Huntington, Jeffersonville, North Branch and Lava. The Jeffersonville First Aid Squad was also on the scene.”
Firemen attacked the blaze from the ground and the air, trimming nearby Pine trees to gain access to the backyard where they set up Callicoon’s aerial truck.
Fire investigators from Liberty were on the scene Sunday afternoon, trying to determine the exact cause of the fire. They were concentrating their efforts on an upstairs room, near the back right corner of the house, where fire ripped through the roof and walls.
The investigators also found at least six cats which had succumbed to the blaze.
No official determination has been made as to the cause of the fire at press time.