Ridgeway fire deemed accidental with no clear cause

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 February 2019 at 9:17 pm

Photo courtesy of Roger Allis: A fire engulfs a home on Bates Road in Ridgeway on Monday evening.

RIDGEWAY – Fire investigators have been unable to pinpoint the cause of a fire that destroyed a house on Bates Road in Ridgeway on Monday.

Firefighters were dispatched to 3358 Bates Rd. at 6:18 p.m. for reports of a structure fire. Larry and Corina Sword lived at the house and weren’t injured.

The house is a total loss and was knocked down later that night. It’s now a pile of rubble.

The extensive damage to the house has prevented fire investigators from determining a specific cause of the blaze. However, the fire started on the back side of the house, said Justin Niederhofer, an Orleans County fire investigator.

Firefighters from the western battalion – Ridgeway, Lyndonville, Shelby, East Shelby and Medina – all responded to the scene.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Fire investigators say the blaze started at the back side of the house.

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