Syracuse, NY- On Sunday, November 5, 2023, at 8:19 a.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted by the Onondaga County 911 Center to a reported possible fire near the intersection of South Geddes Street and Fitch Street. Firefighters from Station 3, on Bellevue Avenue arrived on the scene just over two minutes later. When they arrived, firefighters found smoke pouring from the eaves of a two-and-a-half story vacant house at 1022 South Geddes Street. A signal ‘99’ was transmitted, indicating a working fire.
As additional crews arrived, firefighters began to stretch hoses to the building. Boards covered all of the first-floor windows and doors, creating additional work for firefighters attempting to make entry. Although the house was vacant, there were reports that there were possibly people inside, so teams began searches of the entire structure to check for trapped occupants. The searches were negative; anyone in the home had escaped prior to the Fire Department’s arrival. Firefighters located the bulk of the fire on the second floor and extinguished it there. Flames had spread to the attic and first floor, but hose teams were able to stop the fire from spreading further, and limit the damage. The fire was declared out after 30 minutes. Crews remained on the scene for over two hours, clearing the building of smoke and checking for hot spots.
Syracuse Fire Investigators are working to determine the origin and cause of this fire. The building sustained heavy fire damage on the second floor. There was also minor fire damage to the first floor and attic, as well as smoke and water damage throughout the building. There were no injuries reported to civilians or to firefighters.
A total of 37 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.