Fire Destroys an Oxford Home, Damages Two Others

A Chenango County home is in ruins and two other houses damaged in what started as a kitchen grease fire.

Officials say they got the report of the fire on Taylor Street in Oxford at around 4:10 p.m. April 9.

Authorities say the owner was cooking when the fire broke out, ran to a neighbor’s home to get a fire extinguisher but didn’t know how to use it.  The woman then ran to a nearby store to call 911, adding onto responding crews' response time.

Firefighters from Oxford, Guilford, Norwich, Brisben, Preston and Greene spent about an hour putting the fire out.

There were no injuries.

The Southern Tier Chapter of the American Red Cross is helping the residents displaced by the fire.

Authorities say in an emergency, the first step should be to call 911 then seek additional assistance.