Piles of rubble surround a scorched skeleton of an apartment complex across the street from Ken’s house in Macedon.
“I was in bed,” Ken said. “Laying in bed trying to get to sleep and, all of a sudden, I heard screams and yells. It was just crazy.”
He asked us to use only his first name.
Macedon apartment complex fire displaces at least 11 people (video)
Wayne County Fire Coordinator investigating
Ken watched from his porch as the West Street structure burned last Thursday.
“It was chaos, complete chaos,” Ken said. “The flames were just billowing on the roof at that point. It was devastating actually.”
We spoke with Wayne County Fire Coordinator Jeremiah Shufelt, who told us over the phone that the initial report said the fire started on the second story of the two-story, eight-unit family apartment building.
Fire officials say at least five departments responded.
Several people displaced
Shufelt tell us 11 people have been displaced and the Red Cross is providing temporary housing for them.
He says there was one injury reported, an ankle injury someone sustained when they jumped off the second-floor balcony.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and the Wayne County Fire Coordinator are continuing to investigate the fire’s cause, while neighbors feel for those who have been forced out of their homes.
“The people who lived there were down at the end of the street. I can’t imagine what they are going through, losing as much as they did,” said Ken.
More: Community rallies around families devastated by Macedon fire: Several pets lost in the blaze
Two fires in same place less than one year apart
He says this is an all-too-familiar scene, as the building next to this complex burned down in December, displacing six families and taking the lives of family pets.
“And the thing is, what was scary about the whole thing is there was a fire last December, the next building over which is not there anymore they tore it done, that happened, and that was just as crazy as this one if not more,” Ken said. “It was just harrowing.”
Rebecca is a veteran multimedia journalist serving as one of our core reporters in the Finger Lakes region. She is responsible for telling stories that matter to every day Upstate New Yorkers. Have a question or lead? Send it to [email protected].