Syracuse, NY- On June 5, 2023, at 7:10 p.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted to a reported fire at 638 East Division Street, on the City’s north side. A column of smoke was visible from as far away as South Salina Street. Firefighters from Station 2, on Lodi Street, arrived on the scene less than three minutes later to find a one-and-a-half story home with a large volume of fire engulfing the rear of the structure. A signal ’99’ was transmitted.
Fire crews initially attempted to fight the fire from the interior of the home, but were quickly pulled out by command, as conditions were untenable due to the large volume of fire and the fact that most of the doors and windows were boarded up, as the house was vacant. A defensive operation was established, and crews used master stream appliances, capable of flowing up to 1000 gallons of water per minute, to extinguish the flames. At one point, the fire threatened to extend to a neighboring structure, however firefighters were able to halt the spread.
An additional engine company was ‘special’ called to the scene to assist with the firefighting operation.
The fire was declared out after approximately 90 minutes. There were no injuries reported to civilians or fire personnel. The house sustained heavy fire damage; a large portion of the roof collapsed during the operation. Syracuse Fire investigators were on the scene working to determine the origin and cause of the fire.
More than 50 fire personnel responded to this fire, including command and support staff. Syracuse Police, American Medical Response, and National Grid were also on the scene. We thank our partners at SPD, National Grid, and AMR.