
Supervisor praises community response to Cliff Haven fire
PLATTSBURGH — The unsung hero of Wednesday's house fire on Champlain Drive in the Town of Plattsburgh's Cliff Haven neighborhood was the water department, a township supervisor said.
As the fire engulfed the house and firefighters put stress on the water system to put it out, a water main break occurred and disrupted service for 47 Cliff Haven households.
'Without hesitation, our Water Department mobilized, isolating the issue and initiating repairs,' Town Supervisor Michael Cashman said Wednesday night.
'These moments are never easy, and solutions take time but I have no doubt in their priorities: Public health, safety and restoration. Their commitment is quiet but profound, and today it deserves to be celebrated as well.'
The several local departments that showed up to put down the blaze as quickly as they did need their flowers as well, Cashman said.
Cashman said the South Plattsburgh Fire Department led the charge with automatic aid quickly arriving from the Plattsburgh City and Peru fire departments.
'Their swift response was joined by a network of mutual aid from District #3, Morrisonville, Beekmantown, and Keeseville Fire Departments, with Cumberland Head and Keeseville standing by to cover the region,' he said. 'Emergency medical support from CVPH, support from CCOES Car 7 and investigators and crucial coordination from NYSP, NYSEG and Town Code Enforcement helped keep operations running smoothly and safely.'
No injuries were reported in the blaze that displaced two adults.
Volunteers with the American Red Cross provided immediate emergency aid to two people, organizers with the Northeastern New York Chapter of the American Red Cross said.
According to Red Cross leaders, financial assistance has been provided two adults to be can used for shelter, food and clothing. Volunteers also offered health services, comfort kits containing personal care items, and blankets.
Both residents are eligible for Veterans' services, officials said. In the coming days, Red Cross staff and volunteers will remain available to help those affected by the fire.
Cashman said earlier this week, he attended a joint fire training session with several of the local departments that left an impression on him.
'Watching those men and women commit themselves to readiness left a lasting impression and today, their training was put into action. The outcome speaks for itself,' he said. 'As thick smoke filled the air this morning, I stood alongside first responders and watched as our region's did what it does best respond in times of crisis.'
On scene Wednesday, Cashman said the fire was called in by a local resident.
'Early calls save lives. Community vigilance is one of our strongest defenses. Today was difficult, but it was also a powerful reminder of what makes this community special. Volunteers. Public servants. Neighbors. All stepping forward in unity,' he said.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Federal board considers ‘Mount Carola' as name for peak in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough
This map by the state of Alaska shows the location of Mount Carola in the Alaska Range. (State of Alaska image) The federal government may name an Alaska Range mountain after a longtime Talkeetna miner and pioneer woman this week. On Thursday, the domestic names committee of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names is scheduled to meet in Washington, D.C., to consider proposals for new names. On its agenda is Mount Carola, a mountain between Ruth Glacier and Tokositna Glacier in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The mountain doesn't currently have a federally registered name, according to U.S. Geological Survey records. Carola June Young, born in 1936, was a longtime resident of Talkeetna and the rural Matanuska-Susitna Borough. She was a former owner of the Fairview Inn in Talkeetna, one of the founders of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post, and former president of the Yentna Mining District, which includes Petersville. After her death in 2018, one of her daughters, Michele Stevens, sought to name the mountain — which overlooks the Cache Creek area, her home for 40 years — in her honor. The naming is supported by the Talkeetna Historical Society, the Mat-Su planning commission and the Alaska Miners Association, which petitioned the Alaska Historical Commission, the last stop before the national board. 'Carola Young embodies the Alaska spirit and is the kind of legend we can all be proud of,' wrote Deantha Skibinski, executive director of the Alaska Miners Association, 'and AMA could not be more proud to endorse naming a mountain after her.' During its October 2024 meeting, the board voted 6-1 to approve the nomination and submit it for federal approval. At the same meeting, the board approved the renaming of Arkose Peak to Souvenir Peak, and it approved the naming of a nearby, unnamed mountain to Arkose Peak, reflecting local use by mountaineers and skiers. Both peaks, each above 5,000 feet high, are in the Talkeetna Mountains within the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Neither of those proposals is on the federal board's agenda this month, nor is a proposal to rename 'Nazi Creek' in the Aleutians. The Alaska Historical Commission approved that latter change in April, but it remains under consideration by the federal board. The World War II-era name was chosen as part of a pattern of naming features in a grid starting with different letters of the alphabet, and advocates for the change said the original naming was arbitrary. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Appleton could rename park to honor its veterans
APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – A popular Appleton park may soon have a new name that will help the city honor those who served. On Monday night, the Appleton parks and recreation committee approved a resolution that will change 'Appleton Memorial Park's' name to 'Veterans Memorial Park.' 'Many communities have a veteran park, we have a veterans park, but it doesn't provide the services that are needed for a good veterans park for Appleton,' said Appleton veteran Jack Voight. Kaukauna Goats return to 1000 Islands for invasive plant control The city does already have a park called 'Veterans Park' on south Memorial Drive. However, it's a small park with very limited parking so it's hard to host any substantive ceremony to honor veterans there. Local veterans said they think the city could do a better job of honoring those who served using the city's public spaces and that's why they are getting behind this resolution. 'It takes some effort from different advocates to create an environment that this is a needed thing for our community,' Voight told Local 5 News. 'Having this opportunity to have a new space to recognize veterans I think is important.' The resolution also directs city staff to develop a plan to relocate existing veterans memorials throughout the city to what would be 'Veterans Memorial Park.' It would also add new memorials to honor veterans who fought in more recent conflicts. At the committee meeting, there was a robust discussion about the details of this resolution. There's still some questions that need to be answered including the costs of the project and how relocating the memorials would exactly work. Now that the resolution has passed through committee it will now go before the full common council at a future meeting. Green Bay's Mayor Genrich joins Latino Professionals for civic engagement event 'We have a great foundation (at Memorial Park) and I think it would look amazing to have additional monuments in that area, it's very peaceful out there, there's great parking for those with accessibility issues,' said parks and recreation chairperson Patrick Hayden. 'I see a lot of wins there.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Behind the veteran designating Winnebago County's Highway 21 as Purple Heart Memorial Highway
OSHKOSH, Wis. (WFRV) – Winnebago County Marine veteran Roy Rogers' time in the military came to an end with a 15-month hospital stay at the Great Lakes Naval Hospital in Waukegan, IL. Before arriving there, a landmine detonated in front of him in Chu Lai, South Vietnam, blowing apart a piece of his left hand and foot, littering that side of his body with shrapnel. 'It hit my rifle and disintegrated my rifle and part of me,' Rogers said. 'I was lucky.' After requiring nine operations during that hospital stay, no one would have blamed him for wanting to forget those days, leaving them behind to never be thought of again. He has not. In fact, Rogers has spent nearly six decades working for and with veterans in Winnebago County and throughout the state. 'I may have stepped on a landmine, but I'm still here and I'm still fighting for everything,' he said. Still fighting for fellow veterans, Rogers has spent the better part of the past year working to make Highway 21 in Winnebago County a Purple Heart Memorial Highway. 'I worked for about 10 months asking the Winnebago County executive and our state governor if they'd approve making that a state highway designation, and it came to pass and I'm so happy,' Rogers said. While the county board and state review and approve of the motion to make the designation, it takes citizen action to organize it, and at least one veteran from the county to lose life or limb for it. 'There was probably 60 people in Winnebago County that were probably killed in Vietnam,' Rogers said. The effort that Rogers spent on getting the designation is not lost on Winnebago County executive Gordon Hintz, who spoke at the ceremony Saturday along with Rogers at the intersection of Highway 21 and Oakwood Rd. 'It's important to recognize that we have people who have served, given life and limb, from Winnebago County,' Hintz said. 'But it really took a citizen, a veteran himself, Roy Rogers, to push this forward, and the county was really happy to build off his work and make today happen.' 'I'm thrilled that what I started actually came to pass,' Rogers said. He is hopeful that people driving on Highway 21 remember not the effort it took to get the designation passed, but rather the sacrifices women and men in the military made and continue to make. 'Hopefully everyone that drives on Highway 21 in Winnebago County realizes that a person had to be combat wounded in order to put that sign there,' he said. Wisconsin has allowed highways to be designated as Purple Heart Memorial Highways since 1994. The Purple Heart was first instituted in 1782, by then-General George Washington. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.