CAMDEN, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — The Village of Camden DPW building and all of its equipment inside has been deemed a total loss after a fire Tuesday morning.
Fire investigators are still looking into the cause of the fire but the Village of Camden Deputy Mayor says investigators have determined the fire was accidental.
The 911 call came in at 9:26 a.m. When Camden Fire arrived at the facility on 3rd Street the building was completely engulfed in flames, the only person inside the building at the time of the fire, a DPW employee, had safely escaped.
Camden firefighter and public information officer, Dustin Hite said crews were not able to get inside the building because the barn doors had already collapsed and there were explosions going off from the propane tanks and other chemicals housed inside the building.
Village of Camden Deputy Mayor, Jeff Oatman confirms to NewsChannel 9 that two snowplows and multiple smaller pieces of equipment were lost in the fire. One of the snowplows was just purchased this year.
“It’s tough because that stuff’s expensive and when you finally get a chance to replace something like that and have something like that happen, thank god for insurance,”
Jeff Oatman, Village of Camden Deputy Mayor
Oatman said he had been fielding calls all day long from neighboring municipalities willing to help out with additional equipment and crews ahead of this week’s expected winter storm.
The Oneida County Executive’s Office confirms to NewsChannel 9 they plan to send additional equipment and crews to Camden to assist while they work to get new equipment and build a new structure.
A total of six local agencies responded to the fire. The roads leading to the DPW building were closed off Tuesday night and a fence was placed around the scene.
