Syracuse, NY- On Thursday, February 29, 2024, at 7:13 a.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted by the Onondaga County 911 Center to a reported structure fire at 212 Seward Street. Firefighters from Station 2, on Lodi Street, arrived on the scene moments later and found a two-and-a-half-story, wood frame, multiple-family home with a large amount of fire showing from the sides and rear of the home on the first and second floor. A signal ‘99’ was transmitted, indicating a working fire.
As additional units arrived at the scene, crews began to stretch hoses into the home and teams of firefighters began methodical searches of both floors, looking for any trapped occupants. Crews were met with blinding smoke and high heat as they moved deeper into the building, working to extinguish the flames as they went. Conditions inside rapidly deteriorated, and with initial searches being negative, the decision was made to fight the fire from the outside. Firefighters switched to an exterior operation, using multiple hose lines, as well as elevated waterways, to fight the flames. The fire had spread into the attic of the building, and firefighters worked for nearly four hours to fully extinguish the flames. At the time of this writing, firefighters were still at the scene chasing stubborn hot spots.
The home was known to be vacant. The first and second floors sustained heavy fire, smoke, and water damage. The roof and chimney eventually collapsed into the building. Syracuse Fire Investigators were at the scene working to determine the cause and origin of the fire. That investigation is ongoing. Wintery weather caused minor complications during the operation, as crews dealt with sub-freezing temperatures, slippery surfaces, and blowing winds that fanned the flames. Incident commanders had begun rotating firefighters from companies from different parts of the city through the scene to provide the initially responding firefighters a break. A Centro Bus was brought to the scene to provide a warming station for crews working. There were no injuries reported to civilians or to Fire Department personnel.
At the time of this writing, a total of 49 Fire Department personnel had responded to this incident, including command and support staff. Syracuse Fire Department Ambulance, Syracuse Police, National Grid, The American Red Cross, and Centro also responded to the scene. We thank our partners at the 911 Center, SPD, AMR, National Grid, the Red Cross, and Centro.
Syracuse Fire Department Photo
