The Wayne County 911 Center dispatched the Newark Volunteer Fire Department to their 504th alarm early Thursday morning at 3:00 am with the message that flames and smoke were showing in the area of 400 West Miller Street.
Within minutes, all four volunteer fire companies responded to the scene of a fully involved barn, at 502 West Miller Street, owned by Joshua and Sharon O’Campo. The barn was completely destroyed as well an automobile, truck, boat.
The O’Campo home, built about 1875, was the once the home of N.J. Burrud who, in about 1905 started the Perfection Mince Meat Co. in the barn that was destroyed.
The hot blaze damage extended to three nearby houses. The garage and home at 506 West Miller (unoccupied) and heavily scorched, as was the home of Herb and Joyce Parker, 101 West Avenue (around the corner from West Miller).
According to Newark Fire Chief Gerald VanDeWalle 30 Newark firefighters immediately attacked the fire and unbelievably stopped the three houses from being destroyed, however there were broken windows from the extreme heat and melted siding on the three houses. He credits his firefighters with saving all three houses, he also called in a pumper from the Lyons Fire Department under the Wayne County Mutual Aid Plan. According to Chief VanDeWalle, one of the residences was vacant, everyone escaped the fire in the other two structures.
There were no injuries to the occupants or firefighters. Also responding to the scene were officers from Newark Police, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, Newark/Arcadia EMS, Red Cross, the Wayne County Cause and Origin Team which is investigating the fire, NYSEG to disconnect gas and electric and Mark Peake from Village of Newark Code Enforcement.
It is believed the fire started at the back of the barn, possibly electrical in nature.
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