Tioga County Firefighters Are Kept Busy With Several House Fires

Officials are looking into the cause of a fire that destroyed a garage and damaged two homes in Tioga County October 21.

Firefighters from five companies, many of whom spent hours at the scene of another fire earlier in the day that destroyed a Newark Valley home, were called to the blaze on Route 38 in Berkshire at around 10:30 a.m.

No one was home at the time and there were no injuries.

The fire destroyed the garage and heavily damaged part of the house on the property. a neighbor’s home also sustained minor damage.

Firefighters from Berkshire, Newark Valley, Weltonville, Owego, Richford and West Corners worked at the scene.

Crews from Newark Valley, Owego, Berkshire, Weltonville and West Corners were also busy for hours, starting shortly after midnight, when built-up creosote in the chimney of a home on route 38B ignited, destroying that house and leaving a family of four homeless.

Fire crews also had to go back to the scene of that blaze later in the day when it reignited.