Good Samaritan helps prevent bad fire in Kendall garage

Photo by Tom Rivers

KENDALL – Ron Lasal, second from right, looks over a tractor that caught on fire today when it was inside Lasal’s garage.

A Good Samaritan helped prevent the fire from spreading in the garage.

Firefighters were dispatched to 1556 Kendall Rd. at 12:22 p.m. for a structure fire in a garage.

Lasal had been out snowblowing with a John Deere tractor. When he was done he put the tractor back in the garage.

When he was inside he smelled smoke and thought something might be burning in the kitchen. But the smoke was coming from the garage.

A driver who was out snowplowing noticed the dark smoke coming from the garage. Nate Loescher pulled into the driveway and met Lasal in the driveway. Lasal asked if Loescher if he had a chain on the truck. Loescher did, and they were able to hook it to the tractor that was on fire and pull it out before the flames spread to the garage, said Jeff Cole, a deputy with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.

Cole said the fire was likely caused by an electrical or mechanical malfunction with the tractor.

Lasal said he is thankful Loescher stopped to help him. There was no damage to Lasal’s car, and only some smoke damage inside.

Kendall firefighters ventilated the house and garage. Lasal and his wife will be able to stay because the damage was minimized.