Firefighters Battle Fully Involved House Fire on Rich Street
Published on April 10, 2024
Syracuse, NY- On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at 1:20 a.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted by the Onondaga County 911 Center to a reported fire at 310 Rich Street. Firefighters from Engine 9 on Shuart Ave. were in the area covering for other fire companies due to a fire earlier in the evening on Oneida Street. Engine 9 arrived on the scene moments later to find a two-and-a-half-story home with heavy fire showing throughout. The fire was so intense on arrival that the front porch of the building had completely collapsed, and a tree near the street was beginning to catch fire. A signal ’99’ was transmitted.
As additional fire crews arrived at the scene, and with the knowledge that the building was confirmed to be vacant, incident commanders made the decision to fight the fire from the exterior. Crews moved hose lines into place and began to fight the fire from the outside, being careful to avoid downed power lines in the front yard that had burned off the home. There was some initial confusion as reports of possible people trapped were relayed to responders at the scene. Neighboring homes were checked, and it was determined that there was no one inside the fire building or the neighboring homes in danger. Crews used hoses to cool the exterior of the neighboring buildings, as the intense radiant heat from the flames threatened to damage them.
Crews worked for over an hour to bring the fire under control. Additional fire companies were brought in to assist and provide relief for crews at the scene, some of whom had already spent several hours working the fire on Oneida Street earlier in the night. The fire was declared out after approximately 70 minutes. There were no injuries reported to civilians or to Fire Department personnel.
Syracuse Fire Investigators were at the scene working to determine the origin and cause of the fire; that investigation is ongoing. The home suffered severe fire, smoke, and water damage throughout. Due to the damage sustained, the front porch of the building collapsed shortly before firefighters arrived at the scene.
A total of 48 Fire Department 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.