A fire destroyed a home Wednesday in the Schoharie County town of Gilboa.
The blaze broke out about 1:30 p.m., according to Schoharie County Fire Coordinator Matt Brisley. Three people were home at 817 Guinea Road, but escaped unharmed.
Brisley said the residents were cooking bacon when the blaze broke out.
“A pan caught fire and it spread to the rest of the house,” he said.
Brisley said the home is situated nearly 12 miles from any firehouse in Schoharie County, which may have contributed to it being lost.
“It’s about as far away from a firehouse as you can get in our county,” he said.
Asked if the house could have been saved if it was in a less remote location, Brisley said: “I think they would have had a lot better chance.”
Brisley did not know how long it took firefighters to respond to the scene.
“Twelve miles in a fire truck over backcountry roads, you can only go so fast,” he said.
There were also no hydrants present, and tanker trucks had to — one at a time — back up a 1,300-foot inclined driveway with a turn at the end.
“It was a tough situation all around,” Brisley said.
Crews from Conesville, Middleburgh, Prattsville, Broome, Blenheim, West Fulton and Schoharie responded to the blaze.
Categories: -News-, Schenectady County
