A house fire in Penn Yan claimed the life of a 78-year-old woman and her 12-year-old grandson.
According to the Penn Yan Police Department, the fire started at around 7:30 a.m. on Friday on Cornwell Street in Penn Yan.
The 911 call was made by a 12-year-old boy who was inside the residence. When officers arrived they attempted to make entry into the house but were pushed back due to heavy flames. They were unable to make verbal contact with anyone inside.
Penn Yan firefighters arrived and were able to get into the house and extract two people from inside.
Penn Yan Fire Department personnel located the 12-year-old in a bedroom on the south side of the residence on the first floor and located the 78-year-old on a bed on the first floor. A dog was also inside the residence but was unable to be saved. Penn Yan Ambulance transported both victims to Soldiers & Sailors Hospital for further treatment. The two were then flown to Upstate Medical in Syracuse.
Both victims eventually passed away from their injuries at the Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse.
The victims were identified as 78-year-old Patricia Stenz and 12-year-old Ethan Parker.
Ethan Parker attended Penn Yan Middle School. The school has extra counselors available on staff to assist any students or faculty who may need it.
It appears that the 12-year-old awoke to find the house on fire and attempted to alert his grandmother before being overcome by the smoke/fire.
The Fire Investigation Team arrived on scene and conducted an investigation to determine the cause and origin of the fire. The Fire Investigation Team determined that the fire had started in the mechanical area in the bottom of a refrigerator unit, near the wiring and compressor.
