Four Firefighters Injured in Seymour Street Blaze

SYRACUSE, N.Y. –   On May 3, 2023, at 11:33 p.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted by the Onondaga County 911 center to a reported fire at 153 Seymour Street, just outside of Downtown. The first arriving units were on the scene in under 2 minutes. Initial reports from the first arriving companies were of a large volume of fire showing from the side of the building on the third floor, with flames rapidly spreading to the fourth floor. A signal 99 was transmitted, followed immediately by a request for more resources.

 

Firefighters began stretching hoses into the building to battle the flames. The large apartment building appeared to be vacant, with boards on the doors and windows of the first and second floor. Teams of firefighters entering the building to search for trapped occupants quickly located an occupant on the third floor and escorted them outside. The occupant was able to exit under their own power but reported that there may still be someone missing on the third floor. Crews intensified their searches, while others battled back the flames through blinding smoke and intense heat. All subsequent searches were negative, no other victims were located. Additional crews arriving on the scene were immediately tasked with stopping the vertical spread of the fire. They moved hoses and personnel up the stairwells to the fourth floor and cut the fire off there. Firefighters were able stop the spread. They then began to systematically overhaul the area, a labor-intensive process to search for additional hidden fire and extinguish hotspots.

 

Four firefighters were injured during fire suppression operations. All were transported from the scene to local hospitals for evaluation. We will provide an update on their condition as it becomes available. There were no reports of injuries to civilians.

 

In total, 63 fire personnel responded to the scene, including command and support staff. This fire required a second alarm, or 2-2, response. The fire was brought under control in approximately 40 minutes. Syracuse Fire Investigators are working to determine the origin and cause of the fire. Syracuse Fire Department Ambulance, Syracuse Police, American Medical Response, and National Grid also responded to the scene. We thank our partners at SPD, AMR, the 911 Center, and National Grid.