Pine Plains Hose Co. mourns loss of its fire chaplain in house explosion

PINE PLAINS — The Pine Plains Hose Co. is mourning the loss of one of its own this week, after the company’s chaplain, Larry Pariseau, died when his house at 41 Hoffman Road exploded on Wednesday, Oct. 13. His wife of roughly one month, Kim Dunn, was also injured in the blast.

“It’s tragic,” said Pine Plains town Councilman Matthew Zick, who heard Chaplain Larry speak at the town of Stanford’s 20th commemoration of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks this year. “He gave a very moving address. It’s heartbreaking — devastating. I know he also took in a family and that he’s a volunteer fireman.”

Chaplain Larry, 61, was among the many heroes who helped out at Ground Zero. He shared some of his gut-wrenching tales for the very first time at the Stanford 9-11 tribute this summer, of those who lost loved ones and those who made it through what was one of this nation’s darkest days. A first responder in NYC at that time, he later decided to become a chaplain after witnessing such horrors first-hand, he said.

He joined the Pine Plains Hose Co. as its chaplain and also as a volunteer firefighter when he and Dunn, 62, moved to town two years ago. Pine Plains Fire Chief Brian Walsh said Dunn just became certified as an EMT recently so she, too, could help contribute to the community.

“Together they were committed to serving the community,” he said.

Town Supervisor Darrah Cloud agreed on their benevolence as she described the couple, whom she considered friends, in the days after the explosion.

“He was a very eclectic man and a lot of fun and very funny,” she said. “He moved to town and he just volunteered for everything and came in and became a member of the church where I go. He just jumped right into town life. Not a lot of people do that but he and Kim, his wife, really did. We were grateful when he was alive for that. It was a real loss.”

The explosion

According to Walsh, the Hose Company got the call Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m. from the 911 center. The emergency call was placed from a neighbor, said Walsh, and the  “initial dispatch was there in less than one minute.

“When I arrived on scene the explosion had already happened and the fire had happened,” he said. “It hit third alarm right off the bat, which is not common. I’d never hit a third-alarm fire personally, and I’ve been in fire service for 15 years, and chief for the last six years. So far they’ve only gone up to second alarm. It was extremely intense, as well as throwing out the possible entrapment of four people who were trapped inside the structure.”

Walsh said that “it only ended up being two people who were in the residence.” They were Chaplain Larry and his wife.

Fortunately, the volunteer firefighters rescued Dunn with the help of a neighbor, but “the second unfortunately turned out to be a fatality,” said Walsh, who added “when we were called to the scene we didn’t know it was Larry’s home.”

Walsh described the multi-unit response as “larger than normal,” adding that “usually on third-alarm fires it is a bigger response.”

Fire companies from Copake, Ancram, Millerton, Millbrook, Milan and Stanfordville responded, with Tivoli on standby. Walsh said he believed Rhinebeck and Red Hook were there as well, and possibly a few others.

The Pine Plains Police Department also assisted, as did the Dutchess County Fire Investigation Division, the State Office of Fire Prevention and Control and the New York State Police.

The two-story house was completely leveled as a result of the blast and resulting fire, said Walsh. He said the family that Chaplain Larry and his wife had welcomed into their home was living in the same single residence, splitting the living space.

“It was all one home; it was one structure,” said Walsh, who wouldn’t speculate if the ongoing construction contributed to the cause of the explosion.

The investigation is ongoing at this point. In fact, although the fire was extinguished in a matter of hours, Walsh and fire investigators stayed on scene for nearly 24 hours.

“We were there until 4 p.m. Thursday, and we got the call 7:30 p.m. Wednesday,” he said. “Fire burns as fast as it’s fed with a fuel source, and it had a fuel source that broke apart, so it spread fast. Along with that time on the scene was also the investigation, and the investigation was longer than normal due to the fact that there was a fatality involved.”

Phil Amelio also lives on Hoffman Road; he was in his recliner with his four Labradors when the explosion occurred. He said he stuck his head out the window, and there was dead silence. He described the scene as “absolutely eerie” at the time.

“It’s just a shame — it’s awful. I live two houses up. We lived in that house when I was a little kid,” said Amelio. “That house had been around a long time. They’re were fixing it up. They were doing a nice job. It was so nice to see someone working on it — it’s just a tragedy.”

Walsh said that losing Chaplain Larry has hit the entire fire company hard.

“Larry was the kindest individual you’ll ever meet,” he said. “He always cared for everyone he met. If you needed anything he was there, whether it was the community or the fire service. He was just the kindest person you’d ever meet. That’s who Larry was.”

On Thursday, Oct. 14, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro posted on social media his hopes and prayers for those affected by the fire and the entire community.

“Please pray and stand with our neighbors in Pine Plains. A family was displaced, life lost and fire company rocked. We are fortunate to have so many amazing emergency responders who worked tirelessly at this scene and so many others. Keep them all close to your heart, in your thoughts and center in your prayers.”

Dunn, who was initially transported to MidHudson Regional Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, was later sent to Westchester Medical Center.

GoFundMe page

Meanwhile, Kaitlyn Weise, the 18-year-old daughter of the family that had been taken in by Chaplain Larry and his wife, has organized a fundraiser on GoFundMe, entitled, “The collapse of two families.” As of 6:08 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 18, $56,971 had been raised of the $20,000 goal.

According to Weise’s statement, “This family was the best, allowing me and my family to stay at their fixer-upper home they were making into a little home for us. In the fire was all of my two little brothers’, my mother’s and my belongings…

“This would of been the fifth time we have moved in a little over two years… Also inside were all the memories and belongings to the amazing family that let us call their home our home. We are very confused and unsure why bad things happen to such good people.”

She said the money that is raised through GoFundMe will go to her family and to help Dunn “get everything she needs after she recovers,” as well as to make sure Chaplain Larry “gets the send off he deserves.”

Walsh said on Friday, Oct. 15, as Dunn remained hospitalized at that time, arrangements had not yet been announced for the chaplain. While he had spoken with the family about arrangements, he said “everything is in the works” and “still being kept quiet.”