150 firefighters, 5 ladder trucks contain Medina fire to one building

Photos by Tom Rivers: Multiple ladder trucks were called in to help douse the fire at 613 Main St., a three-story sandstone building next to the railroad tracks.

MEDINA – A big fire on Main Street has been contained to one building with 150 firefighters from three counties battling the blaze.

The response includes five ladder trucks – Albion, Lockport, Medina, Murray and Shelby.

The fire isn’t out yet, and firefighters will likely stay on scene for the next two days in case there are any hot spots, said Steve Cooley, a lieutenant with the Medina Fire Department.

Firefighters were called to the scene at 10:49 a.m.. There was smoke coming out of the chimney. Once on scene, firefighters observed the blaze was most intense in the basement and could tell it was a serious fire, Cooley said.

“It was a heavy, putrid smoke so they could tell it was a problem right away,” Cooley said.

The fire was most intense in the back of the building.

Firefighters rescued a man from the second floor, taking him out of the second floor window facing Main Street. He was treated on scene and declined to be transported for additional treatment at a hospital.

The roof has caved in on the main structure. Once the scene is fully under control, Cooley said a structural engineer and the village code enforcement will determine the next steps with the building.

The fire required an enormous amount of water. Firefighters drew from four hydrants, and also from two spots at Oak Orchard Creek – near Butts Park and by the Brookfield power plant near State Street Park.

Cooley said fire investigators will work to try to determine the cause of the blaze, which closed off traffic in the vicinity of the site.

“This is the biggest fire in Orleans in quite some time,” Cooley said.

A big response from firefighters from Orleans, Genesee and Niagara counties kept the fire from spreading.