The fire started in a garage connected to an apartment building — the historic former LeBoeuf’s Market meat market and grocery store — at the corner of Broad Street and McFarland Avenue at around 5 a.m.

Tupper Lake resident Renee Chesbrough said when the fire started, Mikal Thompson — the husband of her sister Stephanie — jumped from the second story window and had Stephanie hand their two children — Matthew, 3, and Zoey, 6 months old — out onto the roof.

“(Their) neighbor Ronnie gave them a ladder to help get Stephanie out,” Chesbrough wrote in a message to the Enterprise.

The couple’s cat, Harley, did not get out, she said.

Fred Schuller looks out on the smoldering remains of the former LeBoeuf's Market building in Tupper Lake, which he had been renting as apartments and burned down on Tuesday. All the people inside were able to get out safely, including a family with a baby, who escaped from a window to the roof. Fred's daughter Heidi said he was "heartbroken" over the burning of the building, which she called "his pride and joy." He said he was just glad everyone got out safely. (Photo provided — Heidi Schuller)

Tupper Lake Volunteer Fire Department Chief Royce Cole said the Tupper Lake Volunteer Rescue Squad transported one adult to Adirondack Medical Center for treatment for smoke inhalation. The rest of the survivors were checked on and some had minor injuries.

As he watched village excavators tear down the two houses, Joe Csaszar, who lived in the house next to the Thompsons, had bandages on his hands, which were bloodied with cuts.

“My cat mauled me when I was trying to grab her,” he said. “Got me freaking good, man.”

Csaszar said he was sleeping when his wife Elizabeth woke him up frantically telling him the house next door was on fire. He ran out, saw the flames and went back to get his cats — Sunny and Molson — when he started to hear the windows crack from the heat.

“I was like, ‘This is not good. We got to get out of here,'” Csaszar said.

Firefighters put out a fire that destroyed two homes and displaced three families on the corner of Broad Street and McFarland Avenue in Tupper Lake on Tuesday morning. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

He refers to their cats as their “fur babies.” He grabbed Sunny, who scratched him, but they couldn’t find Molson until Elizabeth found him behind the dryer machine.

“You talk about adrenaline. (Elizabeth is) 105 pounds soaking wet. She pushed that dryer like it was frickin’ nothing and picked him up,” Csaszar said. “You see it on TV, how people can pick up a car to save their baby. It was the same thing.”

Csaszar said he moved to Tupper Lake from San Diego, California recently because he has family here, it is cheaper living and he was tired of living in constant fear of the fires that are common out in California.

“I was always afraid of fire,” Csaszar said.

He found it very “ironic” that after he moved here, that’s when the fire struck.

“I’m just happy that everybody’s safe,” Csaszar said. “That’s the main thing. Things can be replaced.”

Cole, the fire chief, said the village’s electric line crews shut off power to all of the uptown lines to cut electrical current through the line running right next to house for the safety of firefighters. He said power was restored by 11 a.m.

Tupper Lake students at L.P. Quinn Elementary School had an early emergency dismissal because of the power shutdown and the middle-high school, a quarter mile away from the fire, had an early emergency dismissal for poor air quality.

A thick haze of smoke hung over the east side of town, gathering like a fog in the valley behind L.P. Quinn. The flames, shooting high from the houses, was so hot at one point it melted siding on a garage across the street.

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Help comes fast

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Csaszar’s sister, Heidi Schuller, said her father Friedrich also owns the apartment building where two families lived.

“Three families are now homeless,” Heidi said.

Heidi said anyone looking to assist her family can drop off donations or food at the Tupper Lake Motel, which she owns. She said her brother and sister-in-law were going to stay with family on Tuesday.

Csaszar said he just moved in into this home two weeks ago. He and Elizabeth moved all their belongings in, painted and bought new appliances.

Now, “everything’s gone,” he said.

Csaszar said he’s an “independent person” and all he needs is support.

“Moral support is just the greatest thing anyone can get,” he said.

He had mailed the first check to his insurance company just last week, he said.

Chesbrough created a GoFundMe fundraiser for her sister and her family. She said they lost their car in the fire. Several vehicles were seen completely burned around the property on Tuesday morning. The GoFundMe page can be viewed at https://bit.ly/3Ud2BaK.

An occupant of the other apartment, Rick Bolia, said he was probably going to stay at a hotel Tuesday night. A neighbor, Carly Garrison, said people looking to support Rick and his son Reese can contact Denise Yando at 518-530-2365 to drop off donations.

Karen Demers also organized a GoFundMe for Rick and Reece, which can be viewed at https://bit.ly/3mfhQmG.

The operators of the Thrifty Nifty store in Tupper Lake, Shelly Brown and Anne Boushie Martin, said the would help with clothing and household supplies.

On Tuesday afternoon, Chesbrough was getting multiple responses to her request for clothes for her sister’s family.

Red Cross workers were on scene at around 11 a.m. to start helping. Local Red Cross Disaster Manager Madeline Clark said they were trying to contact everyone impacted by the fire, replace their medicine and medical supplies and get them the basic supplies to get back on their feet. She said they have money available for temporary housing if anyone didn’t have a place to stay.

Franklin County fire investigators are currently working to determine the cause of the fire. Csaszar said there was a wood stove in the garage next door to his house. When he ran outside, he saw one of his neighbors out there.

“He was apologizing profusely,” Csaszar said. “He was kind of in shock.”

Csaszar said he hopes his neighbor does not lose his mind over the fire. He said it was an accident.

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“What would we do without the firemen?”

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Friedrich Schuller, who owns the apartments, said he was glad everyone got out safely.

“What would we do without the firemen?” Friedrich asked. “They come from all over.”

Cole said he was the third firefighter on scene. By time the department got there, everyone was out on their own and the two buildings were “well-involved” in flames. This was a “very hot fire,” he said. He said he Tupper Lake is lucky to have so many fire truck drivers.

Cole said the TLVFD practically emptied the firehall garage — only leaving two trucks, which weren’t needed for this type of emergency. Then, he put out an “all-call” to Franklin County and 10 departments responded — Saranac Lake, Paul Smith’s-Gabriels, Bloomingdale, Long Lake, Piercefield, Westville, Constable, Burke, Dickinson and Moriah.

Cole said without such a large response, the fire could have spread to the neighboring homes “very easily.” A garage connected to a neighboring house on Broad Street was catching fire when he arrived, Cole said, but firefighters were able to protect it.

He said they were running between six and eight hand lines, with the tower truck dumping water on the roof of the building, an “essential” fight from air.

Cole said LeBoeuf’s Market was one of the oldest buildings in the village, with a lot of history there.

Cole thanked 911 dispatch, the village Department of Public Works and the emergency service workers from around the county who responded, as well as state and local police.

He said firefighters were back in service at around 2 p.m. and used “copious” amounts of water.