TOWN OF CLAYTON, New York (WWNY) – A Clayton man desperately tried to save his business from burning to the ground Wednesday afternoon.
In the end, Luke Kampnich lost everything.
It happened at around 12:45 p.m. at Uncle Luke’s Roofing & Siding at 30053 Fox Corners Road in the town of Clayton.
Kampnich said he was working on a job in Dexter and came back to the business to get some tools.
He saw flames shooting through the roof and chimney and tried using a fire extinguisher and garden hose to douse the blaze.
He called the fire department. By then, smoke from the fire could be seen from miles away.
When volunteers arrived, the business was engulfed in flames.
Bruce Reome, the deputy coordinator for the Jefferson County Office of Fire & Emergency Management, said firefighters faced challenges because of the cold weather. A hydrant nearby was frozen so volunteers had to bring in water from a hydrant in Depauville, he said.
“The only problems we had today was getting water established to fill tankers. The fill site’s not that far away, it just, you know, the crews had a hard time getting water,” said Reome.
Kamnich lost all of his construction tools and roofing materials in the fire. A snowmobile and an ATV were saved.
Firefighters from Clayton, Orleans, Chaumont, Brownville and Glen Park responded to the scene.
Officials said a woodstove malfunction caused the fire.
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