OVID, N.Y. — It’s been almost two months since a devastating fire in the town of Ovid destroyed most of the town's Main Street.

The mood in the Ovid firehouse can be described as peaceful, despite what the town has been through.

But for Chief Tim Westlake, there’s still a lot of work behind the scenes. One of the biggest issues he’s still working through is pushing for upgrades to Ovid’s water system. 

“It’s amazing how much people take for granted the water that comes out of their tap and how they get it," said Westlake. "Not realizing how much infrastructure there is."

Four hundred and fifty firefighters from across southern Seneca County responded to the fire and water supply quickly became an issue. Crews slowed down as they waited for more water to be pumped in. 

“We needed 5,000 gallons of water per minute on the initial fire flow," explained Westlake. "We don’t have a municipal water system capable."

It’s a problem neighboring communities also face. 

“Four miles down the road in Lodi, they don’t have a water system with hydrants. They’d be in the same boat," said Westlake. 

Aging infrastructure has been a problem in Ovid for years, according to Westlake. To update and replace it now would cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Westlake says he has been in talks with local, county and state officials to secure funding. 

The Ovid Fire Department trains for situations like this and Westlake says without it the fire could’ve been worse. But he hopes this attention on the town shows just how needed these changes are.