Investigators still looking for cause in Ten Eyck Street fire

Sep. 21--WATERTOWN -- Fire investigators have not yet determined the cause of the blaze that extensively damaged a house at 339 Ten Eyck St. on Friday afternoon.

They're waiting for further investigation by insurance investigators, fire officials said Saturday afternoon.

Investigators, however, determined the fire was ignited in the front living room of the two-story, single-family home at Ten Eyck and Dimmick streets, Fire Chief Dale C. Herman said in a news release.

The home is insured and owned by Richard P. Donoghue of Pillar Point, who is a retired acting fire chief for the Watertown Fire Department. His granddaughter, Molly, lived at the home with a dog, Finnegan. She was at work when the fire was discovered.

No one was hurt in the blaze. The dog escaped unharmed and was seen running around the neighborhood until neighbors were able to catch him.

Mayor Joseph M. Butler Jr. lives next door to the fire and rushed over to see if anyone was inside.

He and another neighbor kicked in the back door but could not get inside any further because of the intense heat and flames.

With the flames getting bigger, he was afraid that his house, too, was going to catch fire, so he yelled for his wife and daughters to get out of their house.

The mayor was still trying to process what happened on Friday night, saying he was relieved no one was injured.

"We were neighbors for 19 years," he said.

The Jefferson County 911 dispatch received several calls after a large amount of black smoke could be seen for blocks. The front porch was already engulfed and flames were coming out of the roof.

Firefighters initiated an exterior fire attack.

The homes' primary electrical line burned away and dropped in the street, which hindered firefighting efforts, Chief Herman said.

It was fortunate that the fire was called in just as the day shift was about to leave and firefighters were coming into work, he said.

Crews were assisted on scene by the Fort Drum Fire Department, Watertown Police and public works, water and code enforcement department, along with National Grid and Guilfoyle ambulance.

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