Basement Fire on Far West Side Displaces Two
Published on March 15, 2024
Syracuse, NY- On Friday, March 15, 2024, at 6:57 a.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted by the Onondaga County 911 Center to a reported possible fire at 953 Emerson Avenue, on Syracuse’s Far West Side. Firefighters from Station 5, on N. Geddes St., arrived on the scene moments later and found smoke coming from the first floor of the two-story, two-family home. Crews from the first arriving units began investigating, as additional units arrived at the scene. Due to the way the smoke was behaving, crews suspected a basement fire. When firefighters accessed the basement of the home, they encountered heavy smoke and could see the glow of flames. A signal ‘99’ was transmitted, indicating a working fire.
As the initial units stretched hoses into the basement, other crews of firefighters performed methodical searches of both apartments in the building. Smoke from the fire was filling a vacant first-floor apartment and an occupied second-floor apartment. Searches were negative; the occupants of the second-floor apartment were able to escape prior to the fire department’s arrival. In the basement, crews were able to locate the seat of the fire and extinguish it. Additional hose lines were moved into the first floor to check for any fire spread. However, the efforts of firefighters in the basement prevented the fire from spreading past the basement, preventing more severe damage from occurring.
The basement of the home suffered fire, smoke, and water damage. The first and second floors also suffered minor smoke damage. Syracuse Fire Investigators were at the scene working to determine the cause of the fire, which began in the basement. Two people lived in the second-floor apartment; they were being assisted by the Red Cross. The first-floor apartment was currently vacant. The fire was declared out after approximately 20 minutes. No injuries were reported to civilians or Fire Department personnel.
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.