Syracuse, NY- On August 4, 2023, at 8:59 p.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted by the Onondaga County 911 Center to a reported structure fire at 514 East Laurel Street. As companies were responding, dispatchers relayed additional information that there may be people trapped in the building. Firefighters from Station 9 arrived on the scene moments later to find a two-and-a-half story home with heavy fire and thick smoke showing from the rear of the building. A signal ‘99’ was transmitted. Due to the initial reports of people possibly still trapped inside, firefighters initiated an aggressive interior attack.
Firefighters encountered high heat and heavy smoke as various teams entered the building with hoses to put out the fire, and perform searches. Searches for trapped victims were negative. As the initial searches were being completed, the fire had reached an advanced stage and firefighters transitioned to an exterior attack, spraying water from the outside to control the flames. Once the fire had been sufficiently knocked down from the exterior, crews transitioned back to an interior operation to complete extinguishment of the fire and search for hotspots and fire spread. Due to the intensity of the fire, additional fire units responded to the scene to assist with the firefight.
One firefighter was injured during the operation. They were transported to a local hospital for an evaluation following the injury. Their injuries are not considered life threatening. No civilian injuries were reported.
An addition on the back of the home sustained heavy fire damage, while the rest of the house sustained smoke and water damage. Syracuse Fire Investigators were on scene working to determine the origin and cause of the fire. Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control and fully extinguish it after approximately 80 minutes, and crews remained on scene picking up equipment, ventilating the structure, and assisting with the investigation.
A total of 45 Fire Department personnel responded to this incident including command and support staff. Syracuse Fire Department Ambulance, Syracuse Police, American Medical Response, and National Grid also responded to the scene. We thank our partners at the 911, SPD, AMR, and National Grid.