Crews battle stubborn flames, smoke

BUFFALO, NY (WIVB) - Buffalo’s bravest battled through dense smoke and heavy flames Saturday morning, to fight a stubborn house fire on Buffalo’s east side. Smoke from the fire was seen miles away from the scene.

  PHOTOS | You can see unbelievable pictures of smoke and flames tearing through the Herman Street .

Family members say the woman who owned the Herman Street house died just two weeks ago and her son lived next door. A neighborhood resident said, “Sad, to have such a tragedy back to back.”

Fire officials say the battled flames for more than one hour. They say they don't know how it started but one thing was clear. Officials say there were a lot of issues. The first was all of the stuff inside that fueled this stubborn fire.

Buffalo Fire Department Chief Michael Biasillo said, “The place was jammed pack with combustibles.”

There were also water issues. Biasillo explained, “Our water mains are in really rough shape, it took us quite a while to get water so in the process it got out of control.”

Firefighters attacked the fire from the outside and also shot water through a window next door. Another issue was the morning fog that pushed the smoke down to the ground.

Biasillo said, “It doesn't help. It makes visibility real difficult at ground level.”

The difficulties didn't end there. “We had another fire going at the same time in the Lovejoy area so there was smoke on both ends of the city it was pretty heavy.”

Fire officials say this Herman street home is a total loss. The home next door was also damaged. The good news is there weren't any injuries.