‘Hotspots’ Extinguished at Portage Rekindling

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PORTAGE – The house fire that rekindled Friday afternoon has been once again extinguished by firefighters with the Nunda Fire Department.

First Assistant Chief Travis Rawleigh says that the home collapsed on itself while burning, and flared up again as small pockets of heat ignited the rubble.

“The way the structure collapsed on itself, it is not uncommon for small pockets of burning material to cause flare-ups,” said Assistant Chief Rawleigh. “We were quickly able to take care of it again.”

No one was injured in the rekindled fire, but Nunda EMS did stand by just in case.

The home originally caught fire just after midnight in the early hours of Friday, and Assistant Chief Rawleigh and First Lieutenant Travis Deiter daringly rescued two women from the burning structure and carried them to safety using ladders from the roof.

“Once we rescued the occupants, then we had to fight the fire,” added Assistant Chief Raleigh. “I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.”

PHOTO CAPTION: The fire as it burned in the early hours of Friday.