Ontario County Sheriff: Nobody to be charged in 2025 Gorham warehouse fire

GORHAM, N.Y. — The Ontario County Sheriff’s Office said there is not enough evidence to charge anyone in connection with the massive fire that destroyed a warehouse in Gorham last year.

The fire at Eco Operations in August 2025 was fueled by pallets of expired hand sanitizer stored inside and outside the warehouse. It took 12 hours for crews to bring the fire under control.

The owner of the business, Eduard Zaydman, had been cited before the fire for violating zoning and fire codes.

In a statement, Ontario County Sheriff David Cirencione said the extent of the damage made it impossible to determine the cause or the origin of the fire. He also said surveillance camera footage was of no value.

State and federal environmental agencies are still investigating.

Full statement from Sheriff Circencione

“On August 30th, 2025, at 5:21PM, members of the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office joined over 200 firefighters and first responders from 7 counties, in responding to ECO Operations at 4611 Dewey Ave. in Gorham for the report of a fire. Arriving units arrived to find the warehouse, much of the surrounding property and hundreds of pallets fully involved in flames. The pallets were found to contain expired hand sanitizer which had been acquired by this company. Fire suppression efforts were active for nearly twelve hours. The property remained secured for several weeks while hazard mitigation took place.

Sheriff’s investigators have worked with our partners at the Town of Gorham Code Enforcement Office, Ontario County Emergency Management Office, Ontario County District Attorney’s Office, NYS Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and Federal Environmental Protection Agency to determine the cause and origin of this fire. This investigation has also focused on the procurement of this alcohol-based hand sanitizer in accordance with local, state and federal statutes. Investigative efforts have included comprehensive on-site inspections, soil testing, a neighborhood canvass for surveillance camera footage and interviews with employees, neighbors & witnesses. The company’s surveillance system was examined and found to contain no recordings of evidentiary value. Further, based on the total destruction of the warehouse due to fire and complete burning of all contents on the property, no definitive cause or origin of this fire could be determined.

After a thorough review of all investigative findings, the Ontario County District Attorney and Sheriff’s Office have concluded that at present, there is insufficient evidence to charge anyone with a NYS Penal Law crime related to this fire.

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and Federal Environmental Protection Agency continue to investigate damages to the soil, air and water as a result of the storage and eventual burning of this product.”