Morning fire claims house under renovation

ODESSA--At 8:03 a.m. Friday, Dec. 31, the Odessa Fire Department was dispatched by the Schuyler County 911 Center to a structure fire at 5212 County Road 14 in the Town of Catharine. Upon arrival, the department found a two story wood frame residence with fire throughout the building. A second, and later, a third alarm were requested for additional tankers and additional firefighting personnel. The departments requested under mutual aid to the scene were Montour Falls, Watkins Glen, Mecklenburg, Burdett, Newfield, Millport and Town & Country. The Valois Logan Hector Fire Company was on standby in Odessa to cover calls. Schuyler Ambulance responded and stood by at the scene.
The house had been undergoing renovations so many of the walls had been removed, contributing to the quick spread of the fire throughout the house. All firefighting operations were defensive. One minor firefighter injury occurred during operations but the firefighter did not require further medical treatment.
The Schuyler County Sheriff's Office, the New York State Police, Schuyler County Emergency Management and NYSEG responded to assist at the scene. The Schuyler County Fire Investigation Team responded to the scene to assist with cause and origin determination. The cause of the fire has been determined to be a malfunction of an electrical panel box in the basement. The house was a total loss and was vacant at the time of the fire.