CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. — A 98-year-old man, Saverio Campagna, died in a house fire on Jefferson Avenue near Niagara Street in Canandaigua on Saturday.

He was a lifelong resident of Jefferson Avenue. The Campagna family lived in the home for more than 100 years.

His wife and daughter were also home when the fire broke out. They were taken to UR Thompson Hospital for smoke inhalation and released.

His protective community is devastated at the loss of the man who they said would sit on the porch on nice days to wave and say hello to people.

His family wasn’t ready to do an on-camera interview but they said Campagna lived a full and happy life. He lived in the home with his wife and adult daughter. The daughter who tried desperately to save both of her parents. She helped her mother out and went back in for her father before being pulled out by the police for her safety.

By the time firefighters were able to get the flames under control, her father had died.

Canandaigua FD has determined the cause of the fire to be accidental. The fire broke out around 8:40 a.m. and engulfed both stories of the home. It took multiple emergency responders two hours to get under control.

After the fire, the union representing the Canandaigua Fire Department spoke out against the city’s administration. In a Facebook post, I.A.F.F. Local 2098 claimed staffing issues made it difficult for firefighters to get to the victim, saying “four firefighters cannot search for a trapped victim while simultaneously controlling a raging fire.” 

Canandaigua’s city manager said an independent study from 2018 found that the optimal daily staffing for the fire department was four firefighters per shift. There are a total of 18 paid firefighters in the city. You can the full statements from the union and city manager in this story.

The family is trying to salvage whatever they can to hold on to some of the memories created in the house over the last century.

Campagna’s family said they are private people and will be holding a small service as they grieve the loss of their beloved father.