Massive Tanker Shuttle Sustains Six-Hour Fight at Fully Involved Sandy Creek Residence

Lacona, NY - An early-morning residential fire forced an occupant to jump from a third-story window and triggered a massive, second-alarm regional response Monday, keeping firefighters committed for nearly six hours in northern Oswego County.

At approximately 2:47 a.m. on September 7, the Lacona Fire Department and automatic mutual aid companies were dispatched by the Oswego County 911 Center to 60 Wheat Hill Drive in the Town of Sandy Creek. Responding apparatus included Rescue Pumper 13-2-1, Tanker Pumper 13-4-3, Tanker 13-5-1, and Chief 13-0-1. Initial dispatch reports warned of an occupant trapped on the third floor of the residence.

First-arriving personnel encountered heavy fire blowing through the three-story, wood-framed structure, which was already fully involved. Incident command quickly struck a second alarm to mobilize additional manpower and apparatus from surrounding districts. Responders shortly determined that the lone resident had escaped the burning home by leaping from a third-story window. Emergency personnel located the injured occupant on scene and provided triage before the individual was transported to a Syracuse-area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Fire crews launched an aggressive defensive attack, initially deploying the high-volume deck gun on Rescue Pumper 13-2-1 to knock down the bulk of the fire before advancing multiple handlines from several engines. Because the rural development lacked municipal fire hydrants, incident commanders established multiple portable drop tanks and initiated a continuous tanker shuttle operation. Water-fill operations were set up at County Route 22 and County Route 15 in the Village of Lacona, maintaining uninterrupted water relays to engines on scene and supplying the aerial ladder truck from the Pulaski Fire Department.

While suppression operations were underway, firefighters conducted a tactical entry into the attached garage, successfully salvaging high-value recreational and utility equipment—including several four-wheelers, snowmobiles, motorcycles, and lawn mowers—before flames could spread to the outbuilding.

Due to the catastrophic structural collapse and heavy debris field, command brought in an excavator to pull apart smoldering framing and assist with deep overhaul operations. The Lacona Fire Department remained on scene for nearly six hours, clearing the incident at approximately 8:43 a.m.

The origin and cause of the fire remain under active investigation.