The Gloversville Fire Department had to ask a sister agency for its aerial truck to battle a fire Monday afternoon at 31 First Ave.
The city's aerial truck is out of service because of its age, and city leaders have indicated they cannot afford to buy a new truck. A new truck would cost about $850,000.
The lack of an aerial truck was a factor in the Insurance Service Office's downgrade this year of the city's fire protection rating.
Fire Chief Beth Whitman-Putnam said the city called the Johnstown Fire Department to use its aerial ladder to fight the fire in the two-story structure. The department also called in three off-duty battalions.
According to the fire report, firefighters found the house fully engulfed when they arrived at 1:44 p.m., with heavy smoke and fire coming from the first and second floors.
The owner of the house, I Ting, escaped with a minor injury to her hand. No one else was in the house, officials said. One firefighter also sustained a minor injury but remained at the scene.
The house's first floor sustained significant damage, while the second floor and attic had minor damage. The house remains uninhabitable, officials said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Copyright 2012 The Daily Gazette Co.All Rights Reserved
