Syracuse, NY- On October 7, 2023, at 1:54 a.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted by the Onondaga County 911 Center to a reported possible fire in the area of Park Avenue, near the intersection of North Geddes Street. Firefighters from Station 5 on North Geddes Street arrived on the scene at 704 Park Avenue in just over 2 minutes. When they arrived, crews found a two-story, multiple-use wood frame dwelling with fire and smoke showing from the rear of the building. A signal ‘99’ was transmitted.
Firefighters began an offensive fire attack, with teams of firefighters stretching hoses into the building. The building was known to be vacant, but there had been reports of people seen in the building, so other teams of firefighters began a search for potentially trapped victims. Several minutes after their initial arrival, the fire was intensifying, crews were having difficulty reaching the seat of the fire, and parts of the building’s roof were showing signs of potential collapse. A decision was made to switch to a defensive operation, fighting the fire from the exterior. Crews used hoses and an elevated aerial platform to drown the flames from the outside.
The fire took approximately 70 minutes to fully extinguish. A section of the roof at the rear of the building, and a chimney both partially collapsed. Firefighters re-entered the non-collapsed portion of the structure to put out hot-spots and ensure there was no chance of the fire rekindling. Syracuse Fire Investigators were on the scene working to determine the origin and cause of the fire. The building suffered extensive and severe fire and smoke damage on the second floor, as well as water and smoke damage to the first floor. The building was vacant at the time the fire occurred. There were no injuries reported to civilians or to fire personnel.
A total of 38 fire personnel, including command and support staff, responded to this incident. 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.