On Thursday, December 9, several local departments responded to a house fire at 16 Merchant Street in Oxford. Ultimately, the fire led to a complete demolition of the structure. (Photos from the Village of Oxford Fire Department)

OXFORD — An Oxford fire earlier this month destroyed an apartment building and forced fire crews to completely demolish the building for safety reasons.

At 7:26 a.m., December 9, local fire departments were called to the scene of a house fire located at 16 Merchant Street in Oxford.

Oxford, Guilford, Norwich, and Brisben Fire Departments initially responded to the call. Village of Oxford Fire Department Chief Ron Martin said a large portion of the house was already engulfed when units arrived.

"The call came in at 7:26 [a.m.], and when the first units arrived the Merchant Street side of the house, as well as the Greene Street side of the house, exterior, interior, and the second floor were well involved. And within minutes it was already through the roof," he said. "All in all, to control the fire, I would say four hours to control it totally."

"Chenango County Code Enforcement gave the order for demolishing, or demolition of the structure, and that's ultimately what happened," he continued.

He added that while it can be uncommon for house fires to lead to a full demolition, it became clear that it was unsafe for firefighters to continue their efforts.