Tipp Hill helps newlyweds rebuild home

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - A fire in a two-family home in Syracuse's Tipperary Hill neighborhood destroyed the belongings of a newlywed couple while they were away on their honeymoon. After hearing about the fire, Adam Lutwin and his new wife Molly Francis got in their car and started to return home.

The Syracuse Fire Department is currently investigating the cause of the fire at 301 North Lowell Avenue, but says it caused structural damage to the upstairs apartment and the attic. The upper apartment is occupied by a newlywed couple, whose possessions are a total loss.

Lutwin, 30, is a Syracuse native and a teacher at Fowler High School. His new wife is an Irish dance instructor. They were informed of the fire by phone. "What they've mainly told us, is that the upstairs is pretty much no longer," Lutwin told NewsChannel 9 by phone.

A friend was the one to break the news. "I think he was trying to alert some of our family members before us, because we are on the road, we're just outside of Denver," Lutwin said. "He had to break the news to us that there was a bunch of firetrucks outside."

When firefighters arrived, they witnessed one of the first-floor residents running in and out of the house. They were checking to make sure no one else was inside.

Fighting the fire in the attic was reportedly very difficult because it was intensely hot and stuffed with resident's possessions. "It's hard enough in an attic because the heat banks right down on top of you. But when you fill it up with debris and furniture, it cranks it even hotter," said Deputy Fire Chief Ed Kurtz. "There's heavy damage throughout the entire apartment. I assume that everything is destroyed."

The difficulty was compounded by a downed power line outside of the house. Firefighters had to neutralize that problem before they could get into the home to battle the flames.

During the fire, extensive flames were visible from NewsChannel 9's Towercam.

Steve Lutwin, Adam Lutwin's father, says the couple recently got new appliances - and as a surprise Francis's father had installed brand-new floors in the apartment. The family was planning to finish setting everything back up tonight in preparation for the couple's return home in a day or two. Instead, they're all waiting outside the building for firefighters to tell them what has been lost.

All of the couple's wedding presents were also inside the apartment, according to Steve Lutwin.

The Syracuse Fire Department says it will be some time before any residents are allowed to return to the home. The two residents of the downstairs apartment are being assisted by the Red Cross.

"Its a little too much to handle right now, to think about what's going on there," Adam Lutwin said. "But we're certainly happy no one was injured."

Adam and Molly were married August 6.

A benefit is planned for the couple on September 4th from 1:00pm-4:00pm at the Blarney Stone on Tipperary Hill.