04/02/06 — CONNEAUT LAKE PARK – His firefighter’s suit covered with dirt and his hands protected by special firefighter’s gloves, 19-year-old Tyler Carey of Conneaut Lake stopped briefly to watch the former Flynn House at Conneaut Lake Park burn early Saturday afternoon.

The crackling of the fire was heard as the blaze consumed the house on the lakefront of Conneaut Lake Park as it disintegrated — piece by piece — during the “controlled burn,” a term meaning firefighters started the fire and controlled the direction of it.

The Flynn House was constructed in the 1970s by former owner Mary Gene Winslow Flynn and included an indoor swimming pool to provide some relief for her arthritis.

When a fire destroyed the attached garage last fall, it was determined the structure was too deteriorated to be rebuilt and the decision was made to demolish it.

However, instead of just having it torn down, park officials and local volunteer fire departments chose to burn it as a training exercise for their volunteers.

It was a good move, according to Carey, who said he learned several aspects of firefighting during the training, which began early Saturday morning. It was the follow-up to a session last week held in Edinboro “to be sure we were ready.”

Carey was. He had no qualms about entering the burning structure. He said he got nervous before entering, noting he was “out of breath,” as he prepared, but that disappeared as soon as he went into the house. “My training just took over,” he said. “I just knew what to do and how to breathe.”

The most difficult aspect of firefighting is “trying to get all the crews together,” he said, noting the importance of communication between all firefighters. He joined the fire department as a 14-year-old as a way to “serve my community. It keeps me out of trouble,” he grinned. “I like helping out the community.”

Carey said when the firefighters had done all the training inside the building an “air horn was sounded and we pulled everybody out. We got all our training in,” he said, leaning against a brick wall which had surrounded the Flynn house to keep a watch on the fire.

Rick Robie of Girard was lead instructor for the training, which included volunteer firefighters from Meadville, Conneaut Lake Park, Summit, Conneaut Lake, East Fallowfield, Springboro, West Mead, East Fallowfield and Vernon Central.

The training was part of a 32-hour class, covering such things as hose line advance to ladder practice and ventilation and fire extinguishing. “It went very well,” he said of the session, which included 30 firefighters.

Nate Agnew, CLP chief, said the exercise went well with no problems. A wall of mist-like material was sprayed along the end of the home to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent homes.

“We got a lot of good training out of it,” he said.

“It’s kind of sad,” said court-appointed overseer LeRoy Stearns as he watched the home slowly come down. The ladder leading into the pool was charred black and the deck off the living room adjacent to the lake was falling into the home as it burned.

“I’m sure it was good for the families,” he said, speaking of the memories the house held for those who once lived there.

At the same time, he said, it was something necessary for the “next step in the development of Conneaut Lake Park.”

Bids on cleaning up the debris from the fire are now being accepted and Stearns said he hopes that work can be done quickly.

The park plans to develop the land where the house stood, which is really “two parcels,” said Stearns, noting it includes 376 feet of lakefront property. He is uncertain how deep the lot will be yet, but confirmed that plans are being discussed to sell the land for development of a lakefront condominium.

That may also include the adjacent parking lot.

The house has been idle since last fall and since the fire has sat with the charred remains apparent to all who passed by the site. Stearns said the clean up will allow the park to have a nice appearance for those visiting the park as well.



Jane Smith can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at jsmith@meadvilletribune.com



60 volunteers join forces for Park’s clean up weekend

CONNEAUT LAKE PARK — While volunteer firefighters were burning the Flynn House, about 60 other volunteers were working throughout Conneaut Lake Park Saturday, helping get it cleaned up for opening day on Memorial Day weekend.

“We had representatives of two different state and eight counties,” said George Deshner, general manager of CLP.

“We had a lot of repeat volunteers who come year after year,” he said. Saturday’s activities included moving records, picking up limbs and brush and raking leaves.

For those who would like to volunteer, they still can do so. Volunteers can just report to Conneaut Lake Park from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and they will be put to work.

If you go this morning, you will be given lunch at noon, at which time a special program will be presented. Since Hotel Conneaut is off limits to non-employees, lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs and macaroni salad will be served in the arcade on the midway, Deshner said.

Today’s planned work includes moving Christmas decorations from the hotel to a house near the hotel. Employees can go inside the hotel and hand the decorations to volunteers, who then will carry them to the house. Entrance to the hotel is banned until the sprinkler system is cleaned and certified as safe for the public to enter the building.

Bids are now being accepted to do that work.

The park will hold another volunteers’ weekend May 6 and 7th to help prepare the park for opening. Deshner said work that weekend will be painting and construction work on any repairs that need done.