House damaged by blaze
HAMMOND — A fire Wednesday afternoon forced an Amish family to evacuate their home in the town.
The single-story home at 211 County Route 1, owned by John Swartzentruber, was extensively damaged by the fire.
Hammond firefighters responded about 12:45 p.m. to the blaze.
The fire started in a cooking area which was formerly a garage, St. Lawrence County fire investigator W. Joseph Lacks said.
The family was rendering lard on a wood stove at the time the fire started.
"It could have been a lot worse," Mr. Lacks said. "Luckily it happened during the day, instead of when they could have been sleeping at night."
A neighbor called emergency dispatchers about the fire, which was visible for several miles away, Hammond Fire Chief Leonard D. Bickelhaupt said.
No injuries were reported, including five children living in the home. There were no smoke detectors in the home. The family made arrangements to find temporary living quarters, Mr. Lacks said.
Firefighters from Morristown, Brier Hill, Gouverneur, Redwood and Alexandria Bay assisted at the scene.
The Swartzentruber family was moving its personal belongings from the home onto the front lawn while firefighters were knocking down the fire. Several pieces of wooden furniture, bedding and other items were scattered or stacked on the front lawn.
It was the second fire to damage an Amish home in the town within the last year. Mary Swartzentruber, then age 7, suffered third-degree burns to 70 percent of her body when a fire destroyed her family's 139 Conger Road home Dec. 19.
An Amish family of nine, including the father, Dan P. Swartzentruber, was home at the time of the blaze. The house didn't have smoke detectors.
Code enforcement officials in the towns of Hammond and Morristown in the past few years have cited Amish families for not complying with regulations about building codes and smoke detectors.
The Amish claim their religious beliefs would be violated if forced to install smoke detectors in their homes, submit engineering plans and allow home inspections.
Eleven Amish families in the town of Morristown filed a federal lawsuit over alleged religious discrimination. The lawsuit is pending.
