Janet Stanek said her husband awoke to crackling sounds coming from a neighboring Keller Road property between Ashville and Lakewood in the town of Busti. She said the noise came from outside the window, which had been opened after temperatures reached 60 degrees Wednesday and remained warm overnight.

That crackling was from a fire that began at one property where no one was home and was quickly spreading to theirs.

“It was 62 degrees and we had the window open — otherwise we wouldn’t have made it,” Stanek told The Post-Journal. “I don’t know if I’ve completely digested that yet. And what’s really interesting, I had gotten up maybe 20 minutes prior and opened up the window shade more. So if the window wasn’t open and window shade wasn’t up, the way that it spread and how quickly, we wouldn’t have made it.”

Stanek, her husband, a renter and two dogs escaped without injury. The property, which the Staneks have owned for a decade, was destroyed in the blaze, with the adjoining property at 2477 Keller Road leveled.

Heat from the blaze was so intense that siding on nearby properties were damaged. The cause of the blaze has not been determined. Photo by Will Ortman

“This is our home, it’s gone. I don’t know — I don’t know how it feels yet,” she said. “We’re just very blessed. We’re very, very, very blessed. Our stuff is ruined, our house is ruined, but that is only stuff.”

According to Lakewood Fire Chief Kurt Hallberg, seven additional properties — located along Lakeside Drive near the dead-end location of the fires — were also damaged due to the intense heat.

“It was a little difficult to get back in here but we got the attack truck in as far as we needed to,” Hallberg said of where the fire occurred at the end of the road. “The water supply truck was able to make the hydrant and lay it almost the length of Keller Road.”

Assisting Lakewood at the scene early Thursday were volunteer firefighters from Ashville, Celoron, Busti, Kiantone and Panama. Crews from Bemus Point, Sherman and Clymer also assisted.

“We really appreciate everything they did,” Hallberg said of the assistance from surrounding fire departments. “It could have been so much worse but we really needed all of them this morning and they all came through for us.”

Heat from the blaze was so intense that siding on nearby properties were damaged. The cause of the blaze has not been determined. Photo by Will Ortman

One firefighter was transported to the hospital for treatment of dehydration. The local chapter of the American Red Cross was also requested.

Lakewood firefighters remained on scene for hours after the blaze was knocked down. By 10 a.m., crews — which including County Executive PJ Wendel who is also a volunteer — were still searching for potential hot spots.

The fire remains under investigation; no cause was determined as of Thursday evening.

“We are conducting an investigation, which will consist of follow up interviews,” said Capt. Rich Telford of the county Fire Investigation Team. “Our hands-on investigation was limited due to the house collapsing.”