Knox fire intentionally lit by homeowner to demolish shed

The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Knox’s volunteer fire department responds to a shed fire that was intentionally lit by its owner on May 3 after he mistakenly thought the state burn ban ended a day earlier.

KNOX — A shed in Knox was intentionally set by the property-owner, Colin Murphy, on Thursday afternoon, causing police and firefighters to respond.

Murphy said that he was trying to demolish the shed — located on Panting Road in Knox — to improve the property, and thought that the state’s burn ban ended on Wednesday. The ban runs from March 16 to May 14.

In March, a homeowner in Berne set his home on fire in order to demolish the structure and build a new house in its place.

The shed in Knox was about 20 by 30 or 40 feet and stripped down to only wooden posts and beams, its metal panels removed, said Knox Volunteer Fire Company Chief Bill Vinson. Murphy and his children were outside, watching the fire.

Murphy had hoses nearby, Vinson said, and a pond is near the property, providing a good water source to put out the fire. Vinson said he later advised Murphy that it is safer to break up a structure like that to burn in smaller fires, were the burn ban not in place. The fire chief chalked up the burn to misguided information on the part of the homeowner.

“It was totally accidental,” said Vinson. “He didn’t do anything wrong.”

The Albany County Sheriff’s Office and a state Department of Environmental Conservation officer were also at the scene, said Vinson, but he is not sure if any charges were made.

Although New York state prohibits open burning from March 16 to May 14, even after May 14, open burning is still generally prohibited with some exceptions such as campfires, celebratory bonfires, and fires for cooking.

Vinson said that a passerby called 9-1-1 around 3:45 p.m. on Thursday, May 3; the fire company arrived at the scene about nine minutes later. The fire was out in about 15 to 20 minutes, he said. The scene was cleared in about an hour. He said that there were no injuries or environmental hazards from the blaze.

Guilderland’s paramedics and Helderberg Ambulance were also at the scene, he said. Vinson said that the Berne Volunteer Fire Company arrived with one fire engine, Altamont’s fire department was on standby, and fire trucks from Gallupville’s fire department headed toward the fire but turned around before arriving since the fire had been knocked down.

The property at 56 Panting Road in Knox is listed under Colin Murphy and has a municipal taxable value of $159,400, a school taxable value of $140,800, and a full market value of $265,667.

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