The call came in at 2 p.m. on Monday (12/13). Heavy smoke and fire was billowing out of the 2 West Street apartment buildings in Macedon, near the Palmyra-Macedon Intermediate School building.

South Macedon Fire Chief Chris Creamer immediately called for backup. Soon, South Macedon was joined by Farmington, Macedon Center, Walworth, Palmyra and Fairport fire companies.

Aionna Johnson was inside her family’s apartment when her father knocked on her door.

“All I heard was my dad screaming. Fire, Fire!” she says.

Johnson and her dad ran down the stairs and out of the building. As they turned around, their home was on fire.

“All we could hear was a roaring fire. We saw it spreading. We were just trying to get as many people out,” Johnson says.

Firefighters on scene evacuated several people from the first floor when they arrived.

“There were oxygen tanks in one of the apartments that were exploding,” says South Macedon Fire Chief Chris Creamer.

Seeing how intense the fire was and how quickly it grew, Johnson says she is grateful no one was hurt.

“It was already devastating that we lost a lot of stuff but it’s good that everyone was able to make it out as safe as possible,” Johnson says.

Chief Creamer stated that between 36-38 people were displaced in the blaze that took three hours to completely get under control.

The Red Cross is helping all of the families affected by the fire with housing, food and clothing.

Bob Saversky, who lived in the adjacent apartment building to the one that caught fire, feels lucky.

Bob recalls that he went home from work that day for lunch. “I sat down for about 2 minutes, when I heard a pounding on my door. I don’t have a lot of visitors, so I wondered who it was. The pounding came again, and when I opened the door, I heard “Get out - the building is on fire". I considered grabbing a suitcase with

a few clothes before running out, but the smell and feeling of the fire, made me just run out. “It went up like a tinderbox,” he described.

His building was not on fire, but to

keep the flames from spreading, the fire companies sprayed the building with water and broke though some ar- eas to contain the fire. "I do not have a roof over my bedroom or bathroom”, said Bob. He will not be able to return to that apartment.

The American Red Cross offered a $515 check for necessities, and suggested several places to stay temporarily. Saversky ended up at the Best Western in Palmyra with several of his previously unknown neighbors. “We are all acquainted now,” said Bob. We are sharing what clothes we have, and any food. Some people have brought hot meals to us at the hotel; there is not a restaurant.”

Saversky, who works at Tops Markets in Walworth, has located an apartment in nearby Marion and is in the process of buying clothing and furniture. “I feel so bad that the Christmas presents I bought for my daughter were destroyed.”

“I am very fortunate. I live alone and do not have kids living with me to worry about, but others are without anything, including a roof over their heads.”

It is believed the fire may have start ed in the apartment of a woman smoking, who either fell asleep, or dropped a cigarette that eventually ignited her oxygen tanks.

By the time the smoke cleared, donations of food, clothing and money began pouring in for the displaced families. By Tuesday, dozens of people brought in donations to the school for distribution.

Classes were canceled Tuesday because the school smelled like smoke.

Seeing how intense the fire was and how quickly it grew, Johnson says she is grateful no one was hurt.

Johnson says she is thankful for the community and says several people have reached out to her family and others with donations.

“That just shows how many people have good hearts and how much they care for people in these types of situations,”

Johnson says.

The only injury was a firefighter who sprained an ankle at the scene.

Macedon Town Engineer, Scott Allen said that, by the time he saw the fire, the building was fully engulfed. “I doubt that part of the building can be saved.”

Luckily a building fire wall hindered the spread to other parts of the building, but even connected apartments suffered from water and smoke damage.

Portions of the story and pictures from Times news partner 13WHAM