SYRACUSE, N.Y. – On May 11, 2023, at 10:49 p.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted by the Onondaga County 911 Center to a possible fire at103 Michaels Avenue on the City’s North Side. Firefighters from Station 2 on Lodi St. arrived on the scene moments later to find a single-story home with flames engulfing the back porch, extending inside the home.
A signal 99 was transmitted, and firefighters went to work extinguishing the blaze. All the occupants of the home, including pets, had managed to safely escape the fire prior to the Fire Department’s arrival. Fire crews needed approximately 30 minutes to extinguish the fire and locate any hot spots. The house was determined to be uninhabitable due to smoke, fire, and water damage sustained. The American Red Cross was on the scene assisting three occupants of the home who were displaced.
A few hours later, at 1:58 a.m., on May 12, 2023, Syracuse Firefighters were again alerted to a possible fire by the Onondaga County 911 Center. It took crews from Station 2 less than two minutes to reach the scene at 700 North Alvord Street. On their arrival, they found a vacant two-story home, with smoke showing from the second floor. A signal 99 was transmitted. Firefighters from Engine 2 and Truck 2 initiated an aggressive interior fire attack as other units were arriving on the scene. The fire was located on the second floor and was spreading into the cockloft, which is a void space above the top floor of a building, between the top floor and the roof. Firefighters were able to stop the spread of the fire in the cockloft through a coordinated effort; the fire was brought under control and declared out in approximately 30 minutes.
Syracuse Fire Investigators were on the scene of both fires, working to determine the origin and cause of each fire. A total of 37 fire personnel responded to each fire, including command and support staff. A large percentage of the firefighters that fought the first fire also fought the second fire, making for an exhausting overnight shift. There were no injuries reported to firefighters or to civilians at either fire. Syracuse Police, American Medical Response, National Grid, and the American Red Cross responded to the scenes; we thank our partners at SPD, AMR, National Grid, and the Red Cross.