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Kendall school celebrates start of major construction project

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

KENDALL – Members of the Kendall Board of Education are pictured with district superintendent Julie Christensen, third from left, this evening behind the existing cafeteria, where a new one will be built.

The board members include, from left: Martin Goodenbery, Vice President Chris Gerken, President Nadine Hanlon, Chaley Swift and Charles Patt.

This rendering from SWBR Architects shows how the new cafeteria will look. Contractors will get started on the cafeteria on Oct. 27. That project is scheduled to be ready in time for the 2015-16 school year.

District Superintendent Julie Christensen outlines the capital project before a ground-breaking celebration this evening.

Both the elementary school and junior-senior high school buildings will be “ripped apart” next summer for an array of improvements, Christensen said.

The project includes new roofs for both school buildings, as well as energy efficient improvements, heating and ventilation work, and updated security measures. Both sites will also see improvements to parking lots and sidewalks.

The junior-senior high school was built in 1971 in an “open classroom” model that didn’t include contained classrooms. The school includes partitions to try to reduce noise and hallway distractions. The capital project would give all the classrooms four walls and their own door.

This rendering from SWBR Architects shows how the junior-senior high school will look after renovations. The top left picture shows the existing school.

The Board of Education last month approved about $16 million in construction bids. Turner Construction of Buffalo will serve as construction manager for the project, overseeing seven different contracts.

The following are low bidders for the project:

General trades – Allied Builders, Inc. of Brockport for $4,987,000.
Roofing – Elmer W. Davis of Rochester for $5,782,177.
Drywall – Accurate Acoustical Corp. of Victor for $1,144,000.
Plumbing – Michael A. Ferrauilo Plumbing & Heating of Rochester for $468,000.
HVAC – Landry Mechanical Contractors of Le Roy for $2,253,500.
Electrical – Kaplan-Schmidt Electric of Rochester for $1,189,000.
Controls – Trane of Rochester for $592,756.

Christensen addresses community members inside the cafeteria during a ground-breaking celebration. Board of Education members are pictured next to her, including from left: Nadine Hanlon, Chris Gerken, Charles Patt, Chaley Swift and Martin Goodenbery.

Hanlon thanked the community for its support, including approving the $25 million capital project in May 2013. The project will result in a better learning environment for students and teachers, while also making the buildings much more secure, she said.

“It’s so exciting for our school district and for our community,” Hanlon said. “The school is the community hub for Kendall.”

Kendall school adminsitrators pose with the ceremonial ground-breaking shovels. They include, from left: Elementary Principal Sharon Smith, District Superintendent Julie Christensen and High School Principal Carol D’Agostino, who was in Kendall’s first class in the open classrooms when the school opened about four decades ago.

Better signage may prevent trucks from smashing into Holley bridge

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Editorial

Photos by Tom Rivers – Workers from Lyons Heavy Towing and Recovery in Medina are on the scene when a tractor trailer was pinned under a railroad bridge on Monday.

HOLLEY – Monday afternoon another trucker hauling a load of goods out of Holley got stuck under a railroad bridge.

The bridge was high enough for the truck and the front end of the trailer. However, as the trucker headed up an incline on Route 237 the trailer got stuck under the bridge.

Traffic on South Main Street was closed for about three hours. The trucker was from Florida with a load of French fries. He had his trailer hauled to Medina for repairs.

The stuck trucks is a frequent occurrence in Holley. About three weeks ago another truck was stuck under the bridge for about seven hours.

Firefighters and a police officer on the scene cast blame on the truck driver on Monday. He was ticketed for failure to observe a traffic control device.

“The problem is they don’t read,” a firefighter said about the truckers and their inability to follow the clearance signs.

I’m not so sure the truckers see the signs – in time to stop. There are two small clearance signs – 11′-11” CLEARANCE – posted just before both sides of the bridge. The bridge also has clearance signs on the steel sides. But by the time truckers see those signs, it’s too late.

The DOT has other clearance signs posted about a quarter mile in each direction. Those signs are yellow and also say “11′-11”.” The one on the south side of the bridge near Hillside Cemetery is clearly visible on the east side of the road, as a driver heads down a hill. But the one on South Main Street near Geddes Street is obstructed by a tree.

A clearance sign is positioned to the right of the road, in front of a tree, making it difficult to see.

Here is a closer view of the sign not too far from the tree.

I missed seeing the sign near Geddes Street on Tuesday when a drove down the street, looking for signs that might warn there was a bridge ahead. This sign should be placed away from a tree or the tree should be trimmed. I bet many of truckers don’t see this warning sign.

Truckers don’t have a straight shot view of the bridge in either direction. I think it catches many of them by surprise. They round a bend and the bridge is right there, too late to stop.

Holley Mayor John Kenney said the bridge has been hit on a regular basis since he moved to Holley in 1964. Many of the truckers report their GPS directs them to drive under the bridge.

This truck has room to pass underneath the bridge that was built in 1905.

Holley officials have tried to get that changed, to have the GPS systems not route truckers by the bridge.

Kenney has also asked nearby manufacturing plants, cold storages and food processors to tell truckers not to use the route by the bridge.

It seems clear the current strategy isn’t working, and the DOT and village need to try harder. I think more signs would help, and perhaps some with outlines of a tractor trailer with an X on it so it’s clear they should avoid the bridge.

The bridge was built in 1905. It gets looked over after every accident by Genesee Valley Transportation, which operates the railroad. That bridge is already over 100 years old and isn’t being helped with all the shots it takes from the tractor trailers.

The local officials shouldn’t just blame the truckers, especially because this is such a frequent problem. Better signage may prevent some of these mishaps.

Kendall sports serve up 600-plus chicken dinners

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

KENDALL – Members of the Kendall Boys Soccer team serve up chicken barbecue dinners this evening.

The group includes Keith Sayler, front left, followed by Jake Adams and Skyler Heller (in yellow shirt). Brandon Patten is at right.

The sports program served 620 chicken dinners.

Medina grad selected to be a McDonough Scholar at Marietta College

Posted 15 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Press Release, Marietta College

MARIETTA, OH – Adam Hoot of Medina, N.Y., has been selected to be a McDonough Scholar at Marietta College this fall. Hoot is a graduate of Medina High School.

The nationally recognized McDonough Leadership Program helps students gain a deeper understanding of leadership, practice their leadership skills, and in the process grow as engaged leaders on campus, in the local community, and beyond.

Students must be accepted into the program through a highly selective process. While a part of the program, Hoot will take leadership classes, participate in different community service projects including the award-winning Make a Difference Day in October. Hoot will have the chance to travel as part of the McDonough Leadership Study Abroad, pursue a variety of experiential activities, and attend prestigious leadership conferences.

“We have an outstanding group of students starting the leadership program this fall,” said Dr. Gama Perruci, Dean of McDonough. “They are driven and full of passion. It’s very exciting to work with them because they are at a stage in their lives when they are defining their goals and developing their leadership skills in order to pursue their dreams. The McDonough Leadership Program serves as the nurturer of those dreams.”

Hoot came to campus the week before classes began to participate in the EXCEL (Experience Civic Engagement and Leadership) Workshop, designed to introduce students to the McDonough Leadership Development Model. As a McDonough Scholar, Hoot will pursue one of four academic options: International Leadership Studies Major, Minor in Leadership Studies, Certificate in Leadership Studies, and the Teacher Leadership Certificate.

Holley pushes to form LDC to acquire old school, ‘Diaz homes’

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – The old Holley High School has been decaying at the corner of routes 31 and 237, a prominent part of Holley.

HOLLEY – The Village Board thinks it may have a solution to move along the redevelopment of the old Holley High School and to also get eight homes currently owned by the federal government back into the hands of residents.

The village is working on establishing a local development corporation. That entity could hold title on the properties and also be vehicle for directing resources to the sites, with a goal of getting them back on the tax rolls and contributing to the community, said Mayor John Kenney.

Other communities have LDCs to take possession of troubled properties and work on their development. Holley will need to name members to a board for the LDC and legally create the corporation. Kenney said those efforts are in process.

The village has been pressuring the federal Environmental Protection Agency for years to put eight houses back on the market. Congressman Chris Collins and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer have also pushed the EPA to release the sites so they could be sold as residences. The houses are on Jackson, Geddes, Van Buren and North Main streets.

Jackson Street in Holley is a tree-lined neighborhood with residential appeal, Mayor John Kenney said. Some of the houses owned by the EPA are on the street, which also used to be home to Diaz Chemical.

The houses were feared contaminated from a leak at the former Diaz Chemical plant in January 2002. The houses have been cleaned and deemed safe. Yet the EPA still sits on them. Kenney said the village will offer to take the sites through the LDC so they can be sold. Proceeds from the sale would go to the LDC and be directed to other community benefit projects, Kenney said.

That could include helping with the rehabilitation of the old school. That site has been abandoned for nearly two decades and stuck in limbo through a bankruptcy.

Local governments have declined to take possession of the site due to the potential liability. Kenney said an LDC may been better able to push development at the old school.

The village also is trying to get the school on the National Register of Historic Places. That status could draw grants and tax credits for a redevelopment project at the school.

Long-neglected house taken down today in Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A house that has long been vacant and a target of vandals was demolished this morning.

The house at 139 East Bank St. was built in 1851, but nobody lived there in many years. Craig Ernewein of Albion acquired it in June 2013 at the county property tax auction. After having the site evaluated, he determined it was best to knock down the building, Village Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti said.

The site is at the corner of East Bank and Ingersoll streets and backs up to the Erie Canal.

Giant crane sets precast pieces for Hulberton bridge

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

MURRAY – A monstrous 400-ton crane loomed high along Ridge Road today while Crane-Hogan Structural Systems set precast concrete pieces for a new bridge on Hulberton Road. (Several readers sent the Hub messages, urging us to stop by and get photos.)

Crane-Hogan of Spencerport set 10 pieces of the bridge today, with the heaviest at 22 tons. The crane will remain on site on Wednesday while 12 more pieces of the wing walls are installed, according to a site inspector from Labella Associates in Rochester. (The inspector noted several salmon have been passing through the creek each hour while on their salmon run.)

Lakeland’s Concrete in Avon manufactured the precast concrete pieces for the bridge over the west branch of Sandy Creek. The new bridge is expected to be complete and open in time for Thanksgiving. The project cost about $1.3 million.

The federal government is paying 80 percent of the costs, with the state paying 15 percent and the county the remaining 5 percent.

YMCA hires new director, nears finish of capital project

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – Thom Jennings started on Monday as the new director of the Orleans County YMCA. He is pictured in the refinished gymnasium with people playing basketball.

MEDINA – An organization that only a few years ago was on the verge of extinction is entering a new phase, one that Orleans County YMCA leaders believe will be the most dynamic and engaging since the Y opened more than three decades ago in Medina.

The Y is getting close to finishing a $500,000 capital improvement project that will make a historic building more handicapped accessible, energy efficient and much more appealing and accommodating to its members.

And, starting on Monday, the organization has a new executive director. Thom Jennings is now leading the group and its 50 employees. Jennings has recently worked as a history teacher and social worker.

“We were close to being out of business,” said Dean Bellack, the YMCA board president the past six years.

The Y had an $80,000 annual deficit, but now is the most profitable of the three branches in the GLOW Y, which includes sites in Batavia and Warsaw.

The merger with the GLOW YMCA has been a big boost to the Orleans County Y, Bellack said, bringing resources and expertise. The Orleans agency has maintained its independence, launching a $400,000 capital project 18 months ago.

The community stepped up, and surpassed the fund-raising goal by giving $500,000. That has allowed the Y to tackle several projects at the 90,000-square-foot site.

Dean Bellack, left, has led the YMCA board of directors the past six years. His term ends next month. He will be succeeded as board president by Don Colquhoun.

“We’re very excited about where we are and where we’re going,” Bellack said.

Members have a new side ramp and entrance to a historic building on Pearl Street. The gym floor has been resurfaced.

The racquetball courts were taken out, which freed up space for a new lobby area near the side entrance. A new exercise room also was created.

The Y has added heat and air-conditioning units. There is more work to do on the building project. The 86 windows in the building will all be scraped, primed and painted. A railing will be added to the new steps on the side of the building, which will become the main entrance.

In the spring there will be a unisex bathroom on the main floor. The Y is adding about $20,000 worth of signage throughout the building, as well as a historical timeline and display of the building, which was built for Company F, a local Army National Guard Unit.

Bellack’s term as president ends next month and he will be succeeded as leader of the board by Don Colquhoun, a retired executive director for The Arc of Orleans County. Colquhoun is a long-time member of the Y, and he said the transformation of the organization has been dramatic in the past few years.

“It’s a wonderful feeling,” he said about the vibrant Y. “This is a facility people can be proud of. It’s up to date with programs people can be proud of.”

The Y leaders said Jeff Winters was instrumental in the Y’s recent success. Winters, a Medina native, recently got married and lives in Albany. He took a job with the American Cancer Society.

In Winters’s four years as director, the Y became profitable and quadrupled its members to 2,200. Winters took the reins at the Y when he was 27 with a law degree.

Jennings impressed the Y board and a selection committee with his energy and ideas for more growth and connections in the community for the Y.

“I like people who can create things on their own and don’t just look at the manual,” Bellack said.

Jennings, 48, lives in Albion and sees opportunities to expand the Y in Albion and the Lyndonville communities, as well as in Medina. He wants to build stronger partnerships with GCASA, the United Way and other local agencies, with the goal of improving the community’s health and fitness.

The YMCA operates out of the former Medina Armory, which was built in 1901 on Pearl Street. The building is nearing completion on a $500,000 capitol project.

The Y will be responsive to member feedback and fitness trends, Jennings said.

“I want this to go in the direction that people are driving it,” he said on Monday, his first day on the job.

Jennings may be best known in the community for running for Orleans County Legislature. He tried three times as a Democrat, but didn’t win.

Jennings looks different from his candidate days.

About three years ago he got serious about exercise and healthy living after a bet with his two brothers in law over which of them could lose the most weight. Jennings has lost 100 pounds since then and run two marathons. He won the bet.

He is one of the leaders of the Albion Running Club which is planning three races next year and working on fitness programs in the community.

Jennings is grateful the Y is in such a strong position, and poised to do so much good for the community. He credited Winters, the past executive director, and a dedicated board of directors for building community support and developing programs that proved popular with members.

“The Y has done a great job,” he said. “I want to continue the culture here, which is very positive.”

Miller will be sentenced Nov. 3 for second-degree murder

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Miller

ALBION – The sentencing for a Carlton man found guilty of second-degree murder will be on Nov. 3.

Frederick Miller was convicted of the crime on Sept. 17. That day sentencing was set for Oct. 8. But that date was a miscommunication by the court, court officials said this afternoon.

Miller will be sentenced by Orleans County Court Judge James Punch at 2 p.m. on Nov. 3. Miller faces a maximum of 25 years to life in prison.

Jurors found Miller guilty of second-degree murder during a trial last month. Jurors picked the more serious charge for Miller over a reduced charge of first-degree manslaughter.

Miller was 61 when he killed his girlfriend, Rachel Miller, stabbing her with scissors and then beating her with a snapped off “Posted” sign.

Miller’s attorney, Robert King, argued during the trial that his client was suffering from an “extreme emotional disturbance” due to the loss of work, the serious illness of his mother and “a relationship that was falling apart.”

District Attorney Joe Cardone refuted King’s claims, saying Miller wasn’t emotionally disturbed.

“This case is entirely about control,” the DA said in his closing arguments. “It is entirely about manipulation.”

Miller was angry when Rachel wanted to spend Easter in Georgia with family, with Miller left behind, Cardone said. She angered him when she brought home baby chicks on March 3, the day before she was killed. And Miller testified he was mad when she took a long shower that morning.

“It wasn’t about extreme emotional disturbance,” Cardone said. “It was about his extreme arrogance, it was about his extreme selfishness, it was about his extreme narcissism and his extreme need to have control of his life and Rachel Miller.”

Deputies discover and destroy 65 marijuana plants in Kendall

Posted 13 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess
KENDALL – Orleans County Sheriff’s Deputies recently recovered several marijuana plants being cultivated at two separate locations in the Town of Kendall.

On Tuesday at approximately 5:45 p.m., Deputies J.J. Cole and T.N. Tooley were sent to the 16400 block of Roosevelt Highway (State Route 18) after a combine operator discovered the plants growing in a corn field he was threshing.

The deputies subsequently seized 55 plants from that location. Neither the combine operator nor the property owner had any prior knowledge of the plants or the growers.

At approximately 7:05 p.m. that same day, Deputies Cole and Tooley responded to the 16400 block of Carr Road for a report of a “suspicious vehicle and person(s)” in the area. Two males had been observed exiting a vehicle and running into the adjacent corn field. When patrols arrived, the vehicle/person(s) had already left the area.

Deputies Cole and Tooley observed a pathway leading into the corn field. They followed the path and recovered 10 additional marijuana plants being grown there.

The 65 recovered plants were subsequently destroyed.

Tractor trailer gets stuck under railroad bridge in Holley

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – A tractor trailer got stuck under the railroad bridge in Holley this afternoon, an occurrence that Fire Department officials say isn’t uncommon.

A driver from Florida was hauling a load of French fries at about 3:50 p.m. when the trailer got jammed under the bridge.

The bridge has a clearance of 11 feet, 11 inches. The truck and the front of the trailer cleared the underpass. As the truck went up the hill on South Main Street (Route 237), the trailer got stuck.

Lyons Heavy Towing and Recovery in Medina dislodged the trailer by dragging it backwards. Traffic was blocked from that section of the road for about three hours.

A similar incident happened about three weeks ago when a driver hauling blueberries got stuck under the bridge. That driver was headed north, from the opposite direction from today’s incident.

Fran Gaylord, Holley Fire Department president, said trucks get stuck under the bridge a few times a year. Some also slam on the brakes and manage to stop in time.

“The problem is they don’t read,” Gaylord said about the clearance signs.

The trailer is dragged backwards by Lyons Heavy Towing and Recovery at about 6:30 p.m.

Holley police ticketed the driver with failure to observe a traffic control device.

Genesee Valley Transportation, which operates the railroad, was on scene and inspected the bridge and found it to be structurally sound after the crash.

2 injured in off-road vehicle accidents

Posted 13 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess
ALBION – Orleans County Sheriff’s Deputies have investigated two separate off-road vehicle accidents resulting in injury within a seven-day period.

A 16-year-old old Medina youth sustained a non-life threatening head injury on Oct. 5 at about 7 p.m. The go-cart he was operating crashed into a tree on private property at a residence in the 3700 block of Bates Road, Town of Ridgeway.

The youth, who was wearing a protective helmet, was treated at Medina Memorial Hospital. The incident was investigated by Deputy T.C. Marano.

On Sunday (Oct. 12) at approximately 2:30 p.m., Tyler J. Kryk, 22, of Irondequoit was operating a motocross dirt bike on a recently constructed course in the 12400 block of Lakeshore Road, Town of Yates.

Kryk, who was wearing a protective helmet and clothing, failed to properly negotiate a jump on the west end of the course. He was thrown from the machine and sustained non-life threatening injuries. He was subsequently flown to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester by Mercy Flight helicopter. The incident was investigated by Deputy J.W. Halstead.

Day off from school means fun at the park

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – After a drizzly morning, the sun came out and the temperatures warmed up after noon today.

Colleen Schwartzmeyer of Bergen was in Medina at State Street Park with her daughters, Auburn, 11, and Mabel, 5. They were visiting a friend in Medinaon the Columbus Day holiday. They had some extra time when they arrived in Medina and decided to go to the park.

Auburn and Mabel try to teeter-totter at the park.

The leaves are changing colors, from green to yellow, orange and red at the park.

Many of the leaves have already fallen off the trees.

Arts honorees committed to better community

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council honored three people from Orleans County on Saturday. Kelly Kiebala, GO ART!’s executive director, is pictured with, from left: Michael Bonafede, Lance Anderson and Jim Hancock.

BATAVIA – Jim Hancock read about a small town in the Midwest that started a parade of lights to celebrate the holiday season. That was seven years ago. The parade attracted community organizations with floats decorated with lights and holiday themes.

Hancock, chairman of Medina’s Tourism Committee, thought a similar parade would be a draw to Medina, bringing the community together and attracting visitors to see the businesses in the downtown.

Hancock has been the lead organizer for the Parade of Lights in Medina the past six years. The event draws several thousand people to the downtown and keeps getting bigger. This year’s parade on Nov. 29 will conclude with fireworks for the first time.

“I really proud of where I live and I want to do what I can to enhance it,” Hancock said on Saturday after he was recognized by the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council for his efforts with the parade and other Medina events.

Hancock was one of three from Orleans County to be honored by GO ART! on Saturday during the organization’s 14th annual community arts awards gala.

In addition to serving as chairman of the Parade of Lights, Hancock is active with the Medina Sandstone Society and took the lead in establishing a Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame last December. The second class will soon be announced.

He also helps organize concerts in Medina, has been a long-time member of the Lions Club and assists in the food pantry. He recently retired from United Way board of directors after 37 years.

Lance Anderson, an Albion native, was honored for efforts as president of the Lake Plains Players, a community theater group with members primarily from Orleans and Niagara counties.

Anderson works as a private voice teacher. He said the Lake Plains Players is like a family that finds a spot for interested community members to be part of their shows.

The group has been raising the bar, doing more productions each year, including a children’s theater camp and show this summer.

Last year Anderson played one of the lead roles – Jean Valjean – in the organization’s production of the epic show, Les Miserables. The group’s next show, Follies, will be Oct. 17-19 at the Roy-Hart Auditorium.

“It’s an honor working with so many lovely people,” Anderson told a crowd at Terry Hills Golf and Banquet Facility. “I’m very proud to be a part of the Lake Plains Players.”

GO ART! also recognized Michael Bonafede of Albion as both a musical performer and for his efforts promoting cultural events in the community.

Bonafede is a skilled percussionist who played in the band Black Sheep. He continues to perform with friends and fellow musicians.

He also serves as chairman of the Strawberry Festival Committee, which puts on a two-day fest every June with a schedule packed with entertainment. That festival has been an annual tradition for nearly 30 years.

He praised a dedicated festival committee, with many long-time members that help plan concerts, a 5K and 8K race, the parade, crafts, a car show and other entertainment.

He quoted the late opera singer Beverly Sills, who said “Art is the signature of a civilization.” Bonafede said, “Art can be a signature of a community.”

Bonafede also served 16 years on the Albion Board of Education, including more than a decade as its president. He promoted the arts in the school district, which has won national recognition for its music program.

Bonafede, his wife Judith Koehler and their sons also have been working to restore the Pratt Opera House in downtown Albion with a goal to make it a musical and performing arts venue. He thanked his friends for their help with the project.

Bonafede noted that the Pratt Opera House was built in 1882 by John Pratt, a local farmer.

“He knew what culture and art was,” Bonafede said about the builder’s founder. “He knew the significance of it.”

Fire heavily damages Ridgeway home

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 October 2014 at 9:40 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers
RIDGEWAY – A fire that broke out shortly before 8 p.m. today heavily damaged a house at 3461 North Gravel Rd.

Firefighters from Ridgeway, Shelby and Medina responded to the blaze at the home of Claire Humphrey and Diane Burns. No one was injured. The fire is investigation, said Francis Woodward, Ridgeway fire chief.

Before the fire, Route 63 was closed for about 11 hours today after a pole was down and the power was out. The road was reopened at about 4 p.m. today.

Firefighters enter the back of the house.