Tragedy in Triplicate

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Cheektowaga – Tragedy struck in the Hy-view fire district Wednesday morning.  Around 3:07 a.m., Cheektowaga Dispatch received a call from Buffalo 9-1-1, according to the Cheektowaga Police; the frantic 9-1-1 call was reported to a Buffalo dispatcher via cell phone.  The caller was a woman, screaming for help.  The caller’s position was triangulated by Buffalo 9-1-1 to the Cheektowaga-Depew boarder using G.P.S. technology. 

Cheektowaga Police arrived in the vicinity of 305 Hyland Road and began to investigate.  They first checked on a house near the front of the property and then they proceeded to the rear.  According to Captain James Speyer Jr. of the Cheektowaga Police Department, “They discovered some very minor smoke coming from one of the vents in the house.  They made entry in through the rear door and found the male victim right in the doorway.”  Police tried to resuscitate the male, but, he was already deceased by the time police discovered him. 

“The firemen responded, they did a search and they found two female victims who were deceased at that point.”  Both of the female victims were found in a rear bedroom.  They are believed to be in their twenties.  Neighbors on scene tell Erie County Fire Blotter that the three victims may be related, possibly, father, daughters. 

Operations were hampered by many factors.  “Jeff Glinski, Chief of the Hy-view Fire Company was in command.  “Where to the house was, it was set more then 300 feet back.  Our first pumper, the one attack line is 300 feet so we actually had to grab more line and hook it on the end of that one to get inside to fight the fire.”  Once crews made entry into the structure, they were hampered by restricted movement.  “Defiantly a pack rat”  “It made it very difficult because there really wasn’t a lot of room for our guys to actually work.”  “Basically you just had enough room for yourself, [Showing a measurement of about a foot] it was just that much.” 

One, two and a half inch line was stretched from a Hy-view truck to the back door. Two, inch and three quarter lines were hooked into the two and half inch line.  Two hand lines where inside the structure working to put the fire out. 

It’s very earlier to tell the exact cause of this deadly blaze, but, Chief Glinski tells Erie County Fire Blotter that the fire may have started in the front of the house; possibly in a kitchen or a bedroom.  A definitive answer will come from the Cheektowaga Police’s Fire Investigation Unit who is spearheading the investigation.