Fire destroys Hamlin home but sparks community spirit

Last week, everything that Greg and Gaylene LaDue had acquired during their 25 years of marriage was in their Hamlin Center Road home. That lifetime collection of possessions, some things easily replaced, others irreplaceable, was destroyed in a fire that ravaged their home on October 28.

Greg knows his family was fortunate to escape with their lives – the fire spread so rapidly, a matter of a few minutes would have made the difference between the material disaster and a human tragedy.

Like most families, the LaDues had set out a jack-o-lantern on the front porch the weekend before Halloween. Greg said he hollowed out the bottom of the pumpkin slightly to accommodate the candle. He can only suppose the candle burned through to the chair on which the jack-o-lantern sat. Almost as soon as the neighbors across the road noticed the fire on the porch, it blew out the picture window and the flames were sucked into the house, seeking oxygen along the ceilings. Within minutes, every room in the house was engulfed. The family lost the entire contents of the house including their two vehicles parked in the garage.

The LaDues escaped unscathed, although the family dog did not survive. The couple has three children – Carrie was away at Keuka College; the two younger children are Brockport Central School District students – Danny, a sophomore and Erin, a sixth grader.

Several organizations have stepped forward to help the family – the American Red Cross, the Hilton Clothing Closet, the Hamlin Bread and Thread, St. John’s Lutheran Church, the Hamlin VFW, and other churches and groups.

Greg said the family’s immediate needs have been met by the "incredible outpouring of help from this community. It keeps coming and coming – we’ve been overwhelmed with the generosity of people."

Greg suggests that anyone who would like to help his family direct contributions to those organizations that have helped the LaDues. "We don’t need a lot of stuff," Greg said, "but for those who want to give something it would be appropriate to give to the groups that have helped us so they can continue helping other people."

The LaDues will rebuild, Greg said. They aren’t even considering leaving the area where they’ve been "blessed with a large family, good friends and caring neighbors."

If something positive could come out of the LaDue’s loss, Greg said he hopes that people take extra caution when using holiday candles and lights. Halloween marks the beginning of the season where candles and decorative lighting are used more frequently and "sometimes we get relaxed about the way we do things."