Press Release:
Firefighters Battle Fire on Rockland Ave
Syracuse, NY- On Sunday, January 26, 2025, at 5:12 a.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted by the Onondaga County 911 Center to a reported house on fire at 249 Rockland Ave. Firefighters from Station 3, on Bellevue Ave, arrived at the scene three minutes later and found a two-and-a-half story wood frame residence with fire visible from the second floor. The initial company on the scene transmitted a signal ‘99’, indicating a working fire.
As teams of firefighters moved hoses through the front door and up to the second, they encountered high heat and zero visibility. The fire was encountered at the top of the stairs. Two hose lines started extinguishing the fire and working to the back left corner of the structure. While this was occurring, other teams of firefighters systematically searched the entire building. The fire was still burning on an enclosed rear porch, and crews could not extinguish the fire on the second floor and get to the porch before the windows failed due to the fire. This failure of the windows gave the fire access to fresh air and allowed for rapid growth of the remaining fire. This growth led to rapidly deteriorating conditions inside the structure. All occupants had been confirmed out and accounted for by this point, and Incident Command decided to have the companies operating evacuate the structure. Companies were able to evacuate and reposition to extinguish most of the remaining fire from the outside. Crews returned to the interior to fully extinguish the small pockets of remaining fire on the second floor and attic. The fire was declared out after approximately 60 minutes.
The building is a single-family residence that suffered fire, smoke, and water damage throughout the structure. This fire displaced two occupants; the Red Cross is assisting them. Syracuse Fire Investigators have determined the fire started in the second-floor rear bedroom and was caused by an electrical hot plate coming in contact with bedding. The two occupants were evaluated on the scene and transported to local hospitals, one by AMR and one by SFD Ambulance, for minor injuries. There were no injuries to Fire Department personnel.
A total of 39 Fire Department Personnel responded to this incident, including command and support staff. 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.
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