Probe concludes apartment house blaze started in kitchen but origin undetermined

The fire broke out a 9 Ela Court in the rear of the apartment house. (Rochester Voice photo),

ROCHESTER - The cause of an Ela Court fire that left 16 homeless will remain undetermined, Rochester's fire chief told The Rochester Voice today.

The blaze broke out around 5:50 p.m. on Saturday with heavy smoke and fire showing in the rear of the apartment house at 9 Ela Court.

Rochester Fire Chief Mark Klose said fire officials were confident the blaze began in the kitchen of the rear apartment, but said there were so many potential flash points that to isolate a single source of the blaze would be impossible.

Klose said that a police officer who happened to see the fire while on patrol gave firefighters a leg up on putting it out.

Initial reports on Saturday said that nine occupants of four separate apartments were left homeless, but that number rose to 16 once fire officials determined how many individuals were living inside the structure.

Klose said that the blaze initially extended into another room, but that the bulk of the fire was knocked down within minutes.

He said sadly one canine was found deceased inside the apartment, but two cats were rescued. A neighbor who didn't want to be identified told The Rochester Voice on Sunday that a rabbit also died in the fire.

Water damage was confined to the apartment of fire origin but natural gas lines had to be shut off to be on the safe side, which led to all occupants being temporarily displaced. Those left homeless were assisted by the Red Cross.

No firefighters or civilians were injured in the blaze. Klose credited working smoke and fire detectors that enabled all the residents to get out of the building before firefighters arrived on scene.

Mutual aid was provided by Dover, Durham and Milton, with Farmington and Barrington providing station coverage.

Klose said the fire was completely out within 45 minutes, but crews stayed on hand till around 9:30 p.m. to watch for hot spots.