Upstate New York Firefighter Saves 30 Birds in Fire

An off-duty firefighter's quick actions resulted in the rescue of numerous birds that were inside a shed that caught fire on Friday night in Catskill, NY.

A 21-year-old volunteer firefighter, who recently attended fire school, is being credited with saving over two dozen birds from a shed that caught fire on his property in Greene County, NY.

Off-Duty Firefighter Jumps Into Action in Catskill, NY

A fully involved shed fire on Friday could have been much worse if it wasn't for the quick actions of 21-year-old Richard Overbaugh, according to a recent post on the Catskill Fire Company's Facebook page.

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It all started on Friday, November 7th, 2025, at approximately 7:55 p.m., when Overbaugh told WTEN that his dad woke him up to tell him that the shed outside of their property on the southbound side of Route 9W was on fire. Overbaugh said he looked out of his kitchen window and saw that the shed, which housed almost 40 birds, including turkeys, chickens, and hatchling ducks, was fully engulfed.

Birds Rescued From Fire in Catskill, NY

Overbaugh ran outside, grabbed his gear from his pickup truck, which included an air pack, thanks to recently attending fire school, and geared up. He proceeded to run into the shed and began to push out as many birds as he could.

In total, his quick actions saved about 30 birds from the shed. Unfortunately, 8 ducks, 2 chickens, and 1 turkey were killed in the flames, according to WNYT. Overbaugh believes that the fire started after an electric breaker popped near the shed. The official cause of the fire is still under investigation.