ALTAMONT — Altamont firefighters have rushed to put out three fires in the last month, all of them on Tuesdays, and so have decided to turn Friday’s open house into a fundraiser for the families hurt by the fires.

“It just felt right to try to help the families that have been hit so hard lately,” said Paul Miller, Altamont’s fire chief.

In addition, the adult children of Paul and Theresa Oliver, the homeowners in one of the fires, are planning a separate fundraiser to help their parents get back on their feet. That fundraiser will be Oct. 23.

The families affected are:

— Renters at the two-family home, owned by Anthony Meilak, at 16 Marian Ct. in Altamont, which had a fire on the evening of Sept. 20;

— Tom and Sally Ketchum, whose home at 3935 Western Tpke. in Guilderland was badly damaged in a late-night fire on Sept. 27; and

— The Olivers whose home at 6051 Gardner Rd. in Guilderland was a total loss in an early-morning fire Oct. 11.

All three homes are in the Altamont fire protection district. Each fire was more destructive than the last.

The call for the first fire came in at about 7:30 p.m., said Miller, as he was just sitting down for a meeting of the Ladies’ Auxiliary.

It was called in as a bathroom fire, Miller said. It started in the bathroom ceiling fan and quickly spread to the attic.

“When I pulled around the corner, the flames were coming out of the roof already,” he recalled on looking at the two-story, two-family house. He noted that the second floor was smoky when he arrived.

The family that lived on the side of the fire was displaced, mostly because of a large hole in the roof, caused partly by firefighters.

“It burned some, and then we made the hole a little bit bigger, to make sure we got everything out,” Miller said.

Both families were home at the time, and both got out safely, he said.

One of the two families was displaced, at least initially, Miller said, because of the  hole in the roof.

The fire was a “quick knock-down,” and firefighters were able to keep the damage to a minimum, Miller said, noting that five departments responded.

Miller said fires from ceiling fans are not common, but that in 33 years he has seen them a couple of times before. One of those two fires, he said, was at his own workplace. “We were smelling fire all day until I finally popped the fan out and said, ‘Yup! That’s where it is,” Miller recalled.

Bathroom fans can get clogged with hair spray and dust, the chief said, and then start to work harder and eventually overheat.

In contrast to the Marian Court fire, where the damage was more limited, the Ketchums’ home was “pretty well destroyed,” and the Olivers’ was “absolutely destroyed,” Miller said.

The Olivers told The Enterprise that they have insurance and will rebuild on the same land.

Miller was not sure yet just how the funds would divided among the families, and if a larger percentage would be given to the families whose homes suffered more damage.

“This has come together so quick,” he said.

At the Oct. 14 event, the fire department will be offering Italian sausage or hot meatball subs, with fries and a beverage, for $8, or, for kids, chicken fingers, fries, and a drink for $6. Families will be able to learn about fire safety, prevention, and education, and check out the department’s trucks, equipment, and gear. Kids can sit in the trucks, try on gear, and shoot fire hoses at a target.

The fire department will have other chances during the year to help support its operations. Miller noted that the department holds events throughout the year, and said that its next will be a Comedy Night planned for Saturday, Nov. 5.

Oct. 23 fundraiser for the Olivers

In addition to the Altamont Fire Department fundraiser, the four adult children of Paul and Theresa Oliver are planning a fundraiser on Sunday, Oct. 23 at 1 p.m. at the American Legion Post in Altamont. The event will feature, said son David Filkins, food, a pig roast, raffle items, and music.

Filkins said that friends and community members have been extremely supportive and have come forward to ask how they can help.

“This event,” he said, referring to the Oct. 23 fundraiser, “just kind of came together on its own.”

Paul and Theresa Oliver, Filkins said, recently found a place to stay for the winter. Friends of theirs have a home in Knox, but spend the winters in Florida, and offered to let them stay in their house until spring. “So that will be one big thing they won’t have to worry about,” Filkins said. “It will be furnished and have all the comforts of home.”

The family has also set up a fundraising page, at gofundme.com/oliverfirerecovery.

The Olivers run a home-based business, PTO Trucking Incorporated, a trucking and shipping business, Filkins said. His mother does the logistics and data entry, and his stepfather does the driving. The computers and business records were all destroyed in the fire, but the business’s truck and trailer were not damaged.

“Fortunately,” Filkins said, “they are always parked halfway down the driveway.”