Toddler Among Victims Killed in Dryden, NY, House Fire

Dryden firefighters found the house fully involved in fire Wednesday morning.
April 2, 2026
2 min read

Vince Gasparini

syracuse.com

(TNS)

Dryden, N.Y. - Two women and a 3-year-old girl died Wednesday in a fire that destroyed a home in Dryden, according to the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office.

The victims included a mom and her daughter and a relative who was visiting when the fire broke out Wednesday morning, Sheriff Derek Osborne said in a news release.

The victims are:

  • Christy M. Oralls, 30, of Dryden
  • Paisley M. Wood, 3, of Dryden
  • Katherine F. Gray, 31, of Whitney Point

Oralls and Paisley are mother and daughter. Gray is Oralls’ cousin, who was visiting the residence.

A fourth resident, David Welch, 54, of Dryden, was brought to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse and is in stable condition, the sheriff said.

Welch rents the single-family home with his wife, who was not home at the time of the fire, the sheriff said. Oralls and Gray were their nieces.

Deputies believe four dogs also died in the fire, but only one has been found

Deputies responded to 321 Cortland Road ( Route 13) shortly after 10 a.m. where they found the house completely engulfed in flames.

At 6:45 p.m., firefighters were still spraying water on the house and a thick smell of smoke lingered in the air despite steady rainfall.

The fire closed down Route 13 between Dutcher Road and Gulf Hill Road all day.

The cause and origin of the fire is still under investigation.

©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit syracuse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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