What a difference 117 years makes when it comes to fighting fires and salvaging buildings and livelihoods. When a fire broke out in 1890 in the Village of Churchville in the Main Street area, the block was lost; with the fire that took place in 2007 in the same block, the buildings were spared.

Dr. Henry Paszko, the founding physician of the Churchville Family Medicine practice whose building was razed by fire on July 30, said that the same downtown business block was hit by a fire more than 100 years ago, but the outcomes were much different. One hundred years ago, when a fire hit the Willard Block in Churchville, the Churchville Fire Department responded by pulling their hook and ladder wagon, hand drawn pumper and hose cart to the scene. The fire, which caused $36,800 in damages in 1890 razed the block and was deemed "the most destructive fire ever experienced in Churchville" and broke out in the cellar under Nelson Brothers Merchant tailors, on Main Street. Before it could be squelched, it consumed the entire block.

Fast forward to 2007 and when a fire started - allegedly by a tenant in an upstairs apartment in the business district on Main Street in Churchville - fire departments responded and were able to keep the fire contained to the upper apartment and saved the block. "This time the block was spared," Paszko said. "There was damage to only three buildings. We were lucky, we didn't lose any of our medical records."

Paszko said there were patients in the office when the fire started. "I was coming into the building and saw the flames upstairs. We got everyone out of the office and waited for the fire department to arrive."

The fire started at about 2 p.m., was put out at 5 p.m., but rekindled at about 10 p.m. on July 30. "There was a lot of smoke and water damage to our offices," he said.

The practice took a bit of time to regroup, but found space in Mayflower Village, 4201 Buffalo Road, Churchville, renamed itself the Churchville-Chili Family Practice and picked up where they left off before the fire. "It only took us until August 9 to get into our new offices," he said. "Many of our patients followed us here and we are accepting more patients."

Paszko said the office will not move back to Churchville. "We've gotten ourselves settled here and honestly, we had begun to outgrow our space in Churchville."

The office can be reached at 594-5995. In addition to Paszko, Dr. Charles Culbertson practices internal medicine and there are two physicians' assistants, and a nurse practitioner.

September 23, 2007