(rshsdepot) Flames burn historic Hoosick Falls (NY) train depot. 10 fire companies fight blaze

[Jim Dent <jdent1_@_optonline.net>]

>
>Flames burn historic Hoosick Falls train depot. 10 fire companies fight
>blaze.
>By ABIGAIL BLECK, WNYT-TV (Albany, NY) , Jan. 18, 2007
>http://www.wnyt.com/x11680.xml?ag=x156&sb=x183

>
>HOOSICK FALLS - A midday fire ignited a piece of local history Thursday
>in Hoosick Falls.
>
>Firefighters from New York and Vermont battled the flames and the cold
>weather at the old Hoosick Falls train depot.
>
>The original depot was built in 1853. It’s owned by the Boston and
>Maine Railroad. The 65x25-foot depot is currently used for maintenance
>projects and serves as headquarters for the local rail workers.
>
>Investigators believe two of those workers were inside, but got out
>safely when the fire broke out just after noon.
>
>“When we got her we had heavy fire condition in the office area. We
>were able to contain it to the office area and the attic above,” said
>Assistant Hoosick Falls Fire Chief Ted Senecal.
>
>It took 10 fire companies close to an hour to control the flames.  They
>were still fighting the hot spots Thursday evening.
>
>One firefighter hurt his arm in the process. He was taken to the
>hospital.
>
>“Being an old building, it’s got a lot of holes in the floor for access
>to the trains in the past. So that kind of hampered guys going in and
>being able to see where they’re going.  We didn’t want to have anybody
>falling through the floors,” Senecal said.
>
>Besides putting the fire out, rescue workers also had to worry about
>the flames reaching oxygen tanks stored inside the depot. That would
>have made a bad situation even worse.
>
>“The oxygen acetylene is highly flammable,” Senecal said. “So if it got
>over into that we could have had explosions.”
>
>Investigators were on the scene Thursday evening trying to find the
>cause of the blaze.
>
>Traffic was diverted around the area for hours Thursday afternoon.
>
>Last Updated: Fri Jan 19 11:54:00 EST 2007
>
>Mail: P.O. Box 4035, Albany, NY 12204
>Phone: 1-800-999-WNYT     Email: comments_@_wnyt.com
>© Copyright 2006 WNYT-TV, LLC
>
>+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
>Fire guts historic railroad building.
>Bennington Banner, Saturday, January 20, 2007
>
>HOOSICK FALLS, N.Y. - A fire has extensively damaged a historic
>railroad building.
>
>The building, a maintenance shop for Pan Am Railways, caught fire
>Thursday. The building is about 150 years old.
>
>The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, said Hoosick Falls
>Assistant Fire Chief Ted Senecal Jr.
>
>"There was heavy fire damage to the office area and the second floor
>above it, which was used for storage," said Senecal.
>
>The Albany Times-Union reported Friday that employees using a blowtorch
>and hairdryer to thaw pipes in the building were suspected of starting
>the fire.
>
>The fire, which was first reported at about 12:45 p.m., affected about
>a quarter of the building, said Senecal. Despite the damage, the
>building is salvageable.
>
>The fire could have been a good deal worse, Senecal said.
>
>"In the initial stages of the fire, we were worried that the fire might
>reach oxygen acetylene (which is a flammable gas) tanks," Senecal said.
>"We were able to get in (the building) and get those tanks out."
>
>Senecal said that one of the firefighters sustained a minor injury
>while battling the blaze.
>
>Pan Am Railways, which currently owns the building, could not be
>reached.
>
>NOTE: Pan Am Railways was formerly known as Guilford Railroad.
>
>=============================================================
>

=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
To Unsubscribe: http://lists.railfan.net/rshsdepot-photo/unsub.html

------------------------------