Syracuse Firefighters Respond to Oakwood Ave House Fire

Published on April 01, 2023

SYRACUSE, N.Y. –On April 1, 2023, at 6:30 a.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted by Onondaga County 911 to a possible fire in the area of the 200 Block of Oakwood Avenue, on the City’s South Side. Firefighters from Station 1, on South State Street, arrived in the area moments later and found a house on fire at 221 Oakwood Avenue. The fire was initially reported to be on the second floor of the two-and-a-half story home, with smoke throughout the building. The building was also suspected to be vacant, however there were initial reports that someone might be inside.
 
Firefighters mounted an aggressive interior attack. Hoses were stretched into the building to douse the flames, and search teams from the Rescue Company (West St.) and Truck 8 (S. Salina St.) began systematically checking the building for any victims. Primary and secondary searches of all floors of the building revealed no victims were inside. Firefighters had to contend with holes in the floor of the attic while working to halt the spread of the fire to the third floor and search that area. The fire was brought under control in approximately 20 minutes. Firefighters remained on the scene for over two hours, ensuring there were no hotspots, and clearing smoke and toxic gases from the structure. The second floor and attic sustained fire damage, and there was damage from smoke and water throughout the building.
 
Syracuse Fire Investigators are on the scene working to determine the origin and cause of the fire. There were no injuries to fire personnel reported. There were also no civilians reported to be injured. The house was determined to be vacant. In total, 39 fire personnel responded to this fire, from at least five City Fire stations, including command and support staff. Syracuse Fire Department Ambulance, Syracuse Police, National Grid, and American Medical Response also responded. We thank our partners at Onondaga County 911, SPD, National Grid, and AMR.