GUILDERLAND — An intense blaze Tuesday morning completely destroyed a Carman Road home, but the four children inside and their babysitter made it out unscathed.
"Everyone got out of the house safely; we even got the goldfish out," said Fort Hunter Fire Chief Bob Pagnotti.

The fire began on the right hand corner of the deck behind 3393 Carman Rd., and quickly spread to the rest of the home, Pagnotti said.
"We got the call at approximately 10:15 that morning," said Pagnotti. "The first officer on the scene saw flames coming out of the back of the house."

The 20-year-old babysitter got all of the young children out of the home and called for help as several passers-by who saw the smoke and flames also called 911.

According to town records, the home belongs to Arnold R. Naparty.

A total of eight fire departments responded to the call as temperatures reached above 90 degrees and heavy humidity settled in. A section of Carman Road was closed from 10 a.m. until after 3 p.m.
"The fire was under control in about an hour"but it wasn’t completely out until 3," Pagnotti said. "There was very extensive damage to about 70 percent of the house. Consider it a complete loss."
The back of the house was "completely gone," ceilings and floors had collapsed, and portions of the roof had collapsed, said Pagnotti. He added that the heat from the fire was so intense that "one-third of the vinyl siding melted from a neighboring house"and they were a distance away."

The fire was dangerous, but, Pagnotti said, good planning and smart fire fighting led to no injuries.
"We backed everyone out when the roof starting showing signs of fatigue"It can be a dangerous situation if you fall through a floor and you don’t know what you’re falling into," said Pagnotti. "That always goes through your mind."

The air temperature was a factor, too.
"We have a rehabilitation program where North Bethlehem comes in with an air-conditioning tent and paramedics check the firefighters’ blood pressures and provide refreshments," Pagnotti said. "Everyone was told to take breaks and cool down"It’s a very good rehab process. They have a great big blue tent and blow it up with air; it’s a fabulous piece of equipment."
Pagnotti said the cause of the fire was still under investigation, but he did say that, "It was not smoking related"It was purely accidental."

The family is currently receiving assistance from the Red Cross and is being helped by the generosity of family and friends, said Pagnotti.
"They’ve had offers from people to move in," Pagnotti said. "Their friends and neighbors appear to be doing an awful lot for them."

The following fire departments assisted on Tuesday: Fort Hunter Fire Department; Guilderland Fire Department; Guilderland Center Fire Department; Westmere Fire Department; Carman Fire Department; North Bethlehem Fire Department; Rotterdam District 2; and Stanford Heights Fire Department.