Beaver River Property Owners Association, Beaver River, NY

Beaver River Camp Fire

On Friday June 8th at 11:45 PM Carol & Larry Schoch, upon arrival in Beaver River via rails, discovered the Oberman camp on fire. The Oberman camp is located to the rear of the Section House near the south railroad crossing. Apparently a storm less than an hour earlier produced a lightning strike causing the Oberman camp to somehow ignite.

In an attempt to get a quick, local response, it was discovered the BRPOA siren was not operational. Additionally, some of the phones were taken out of service due to the storm. Most people in town had retired for the evening but the people that were there were able to gather a few more to rally the fire trailer, unfurl the hoses, set up and prime the pumps and begin fighting back the fire.

The initial location of the fire was on the north side of the building next to three, 100 lb. propane cylinders. The tank closest to the fire was blowing off. This created a 4 - 8 foot "blow torch" a few feet from where the fire originated, releasing the gas away from the camp but unfortunately igniting the soffit eaves and rafters. The 7 or 8 BR male volunteers held steadfast for the next 2 1/2 hours and it appeared the two pumps and aggressive efforts of the volunteers had the fire under control. It was very difficult to see due to the dense smoke and therefore entry to the camp was not possible. The camp doors and windows were intact but also created a heavy fog and smoke. It was believed the metal roof contained the fire from igniting the vegetation and trees surrounding the camp.

The Big Moose Fire Department was called upon for support and after some difficulty in locating enough firefighters to respond, 7 volunteers arrived via the rails in the emergency search and rescue vehicle at approximately 2:00 AM. Within seconds they were responding and gave well-deserved relief to the BR volunteers. Shortly thereafter, two DEC Rangers arrived from Stillwater, walking in from the culvert. The Big Moose fire fighters cut three holes into the peak for venting and to access the extensive burning of the rafters. They fought the fire aggressively for 45 minutes to an hour until the fire appeared to be extinguished. The Big Moose Fire Department then returned to their station, but the Rangers remained to monitor any possible flare-ups over the next hour and a half. The BRPOA pumps were left connected if needed and the Rangers did need to apply additional water to the fire early in the morning.

The Obermans were called at 2:45 AM at their home on Long Island. The timing of the call, although disturbing, allowed them about an hour to grab some items and start their drive to BR to assess the damage. They arrived in BR around noon on Saturday after driving all night. Insurance adjustors came Saturday afternoon. Fortunately the Obermans were insured and by the time they departed for home on Sunday plans were in the making to rebuild.

The outside structure is standing with noticeable charred areas. The interior ceiling and rafters were extensively damaged, as the fire lingered in the insulation and under the metal roof for some time. Smoke and heat damage were very extensive. Although never exposed to direct fire, the microwave, refrigerator and freezer doors, and the walls of the shower were melted due to the contained heat. Perhaps some personal items are salvageable but for the most part the camp is not.