Southport, NY, Fire Department Volunteer Firefighter Fired after House Fire Response

While driving home, Southport firefighter Brian Wells-Holmberg noticed a house fire that his department was responding to and was later fired for disobeying orders afterwards.
March 19, 2026

A firefighter of the Southport Volunteer Fire Department said he was fired after a response to a house fire in Elmira.

According to WETM, on March 16, firefighter Brian Wells-Homberg was driving past 968 Lake St. in Elmira when he noticed the fire where people were trying to get pets out of the house.

“We went up front to where there were about 5 to 6 people on the porch that kept trying to enter the dwelling to get their belongings, their pets, their animals,” Wells-Holmberg told the television station.

Wells-Holmberg was instructed by his department to keep his blue light off and remain in his vehicle until crews arrived. However, he decided to help rescue occupants who were still in the home, along with a dog and cat.

“I just did what I thought was best, got a majority of the people out,” Wells-Holmberg remarked.

Southport Fire Chief Timothy Sweeney did not comment regarding the situation. 

About the Author

Ryan Baker

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Ryan Baker is a writer and associate editor with prior experiences in online and print production. Ryan is an associate editor for Firehouse with a master's degree in sciences of communication from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He recently completed a year of teaching Intro to Public Speaking at UW-Whitewater, as part of his graduate program. Ryan acquired his bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023 from UW-Whitewater, and operates currently out of Minneapolis, MN. Baker, also writes freelances for the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) in his free time, while also umpiring baseball for various ages across the Twin Cities Metro Area.

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