Syracuse, NY- On August 10, 2023, at 9:42 a.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted by the Onondaga County 911 Center to a report of a possible structure fire at 109 Helen Street. Firefighters from Station 9 on Shuart Ave. arrived on the scene just over two minutes later to find a two-and-a-half-story, two-family home with thick brown smoke coming from windows on the second floor. A signal ’99’ was transmitted. As firefighters exited the fire trucks, preparing to enter the house, they were alerted by neighbors that although all the occupants were reported to be out of the home, a family dog was still inside on the second floor.
Firefighters initiated an aggressive interior attack, stretching hoses up the stairs into the second floor and performing methodical searches of all parts of the building. Searches for occupants were negative; all had escaped before the fire department's arrival. Firefighters did locate a dog on the second floor and carried it to the top of the stairs, where it was handed off to waiting firefighters and taken outside to the home's backyard. Firefighters faced thick smoke and high heat as they made their way to the second-floor kitchen and extinguished the flames that were beginning to spread to adjacent rooms. In the backyard, the dog received first-aid, including being given oxygen through a special mask designed for pets, regained consciousness, and was later transported to a local emergency vet for further care.
The fire heavily damaged the kitchen on the second floor of the home. Syracuse Fire Investigators have determined that the fire started on a stovetop in the kitchen. The rest of the home sustained smoke and water damage. A total of three occupants, two from the second floor and one from the first, were displaced by this fire. The American Red Cross was assisting them. The fire was declared out after approximately 20 minutes, and firefighters remained on the scene, clearing the building of smoke and products of combustion for over an hour. There were no injuries reported to civilians or to firefighters.
A total of 40 fire department personnel responded to this incident, including command and support staff. Syracuse Fire Department Ambulance, Syracuse Police, American Medical Response, National Grid, and the American Red Cross also responded to the scene. We thank our partners at the 911 Center, SPD, AMR, National Grid, and the Red Cross.