Syracuse, NY– On Thursday, August 8, 2024, at 8:16 p.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted by the Onondaga County 911 Center to a reported possible fire at 2500 Grant Boulevard, the former Franciscan Center complex. Callers to 911reported seeing black smoke coming from the roof of a building there. Firefighters from Station 2, on Lodi Street, arrived on the scene moments later and confirmed they had smoke showing from the roof of a structure in the complex. The complex is known to be vacant, and it wasn’t immediately clear which building the smoke was coming from. Due to the size and type of the building, and the unknown factors involved, a signal ‘99’ was transmitted and the incident commander at the scene immediately requested a second alarm. The second alarm brings even more resources to the scene and allows firefighters to handle larger and more complex emergencies.
As additional units arrived at the scene, the first due companies connected to a nearby fire hydrant and laid hundreds of feet of supply hose into the heart of the complex, working to locate the source of the smoke. Crews located a fire in the Gymnasium building. They quickly gained entry and moved hoses inside to extinguish the fire. At the same time, other teams of firefighters stretched additional hoses to check for any fire spread. Crews began extensive searches of the multi-floor structure checking for any trapped occupants. Firefighters had the bulk of the fire knocked down after about 5 minutes. There was no spread past the area of origin. After exhaustive searches, it was confirmed that there were no occupants inside the building. Firefighters also checked adjacent buildings for signs of smoke or fire.
The fire was declared out after approximately 15 minutes. Once incident commanders confirmed that the fire was out and had not spread, and that there were no trapped or injured occupants, the second alarm companies were released from the fire scene. Syracuse Fire Investigators working at the scene have determined that fire began in the gymnasium, and involved trash and a mattress that were inside. Investigators have determined the fire was intentionally set. The gymnasium, attached buildings, and all other buildings in the complex were known to be vacant. The gym where the fire began suffered minor fire damage along with smoke and water damage. Smoke from the fire traveled throughout the attached building, and firefighters worked for over an hour to ensure the entire structure was clear of smoke and other products of combustion. There were no injuries reported to civilians or to Fire Department Personnel.
A total of 56 Fire Department personnel responded to this incident, including command and support staff. Syracuse Fire Department Ambulance, Syracuse Police, American Medical Response, and National Grid also responded to the scene.
