Fire damages Monser Brothers shop

Vicky Klukkert, The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y.
·1 min read

Dec. 3—Several area fire departments battled a fire at Monser Brothers Tire & Auto Repair on Chestnut Street in Oneonta early Friday morning, Dec. 3.

According to Oneonta Assistant Fire Chief Timothy Foster, the department was toned out at 12:09 a.m. When firefighters got to the scene, fire was coming out of the roof over the second floor office, he said.

Oneonta firefighters responded to the scene with two engines and an aerial apparatus, a media release said. Foster said firefighters started to attack the fire inside the building, but were forced outside soon after and attacked it from the outside and from the aerial trucks.

Oneonta received mutual aid from the West Oneonta, Otego, Laurens, West Laurens, Mount Vision, Pindars Corners and Milford fire departments, and Firefighter Assist and Search Teams, or FAST, from Worcester and Franklin responded, the release said. Otsego County's new ambulance service provided EMS coverage during the fire. There were no injuries reported, the release said.

The fire took several hours to extinguish and the cold temperatures were a factor in fighting the fire, Foster said. The Oneonta Fire Department was back in service at 4:30 a.m.

The fire gutted the second floor office area of the store and damaged a portion of the first floor, the release said.

Foster said it was the biggest commercial fire the city fire department has responded to since the Holiday Lanes fire in April. According to its website, Monser Brothers has been in business since 1935. It was previously located on Wall Street in Oneonta. That building burned down in 2002.

Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221. Follow her @DS_VickyK on Twitter.