Published: June 29, 2008 09:44 pm            

WILSON: Friday fire investigated county’s Cause and Origin Team

SUSPICIOUS: Friday fire investigated county’s Cause and Origin Team.

STAFF REPORTS

WILSON — A fire of suspicious origin forced a family of four out of their Beebe Road home and a volunteer firemen to the Newfane Inter-Community Hospital for treatment of possible heat exhaustion.

Amanda Cook-Cassick and her three children, ages 19, 18 and 13 set up in a tent behind the house on Sunday. Members of the Wilson and the South Wilson volunteer Fire Departments responded to the scene Friday evening and extinguished the fire.

Jerimiah Cassick, 19, told the Niagara County Sheriff’s Patrol that he arrived home from work and observed smoke coming from the windows of his home. He attempted to gain entry, but was driven back by smoke. There was no one inside the house.

Amanda Cook-Cassick said that she left her home about 4:30 p.m. to go to Lockport to pick up a pizza. She arrived at her residence after the volunteer fire departments got there.

Cook-Cassick showed patrol a cardboard box and a window screen that was laying in the yard north of the residence. She said that when she left the residence, the cardboard box was in her basement on the floor, and the screen belonged in a north basement window. She had left the window open with the screen in it.

The patrol also located a partially burned rag laying next to the box. The box and screen were taken into evidence. The rag was secured by members of Niagara County’s Cause and Origin Team.

The house is not livable, according to Cook-Cassick’s daughter, Connie Cummings. Damage to the house was listed at $20,000.

An ambulance from the Miller Hose Volunteer Fire Department also responded to the scene.

Ronald Folman, who lives across the street, said that the sound he heard was similar to that when gasoline is started on fire. A short time later he observed a small amount of smoke coming from the rear area of the residence and he thought that the occupants of the house were grilling.

Another neighbor, Ruth Cook, said that she was home all day and did not see any suspicious activity.

Members of Niagara County’s Special Forces team responded to the residence with a bloodhound.

        

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