Syracuse (NY) Fire Department crews were kept busy with the fourth major structure fire in an apartment building in the city within the span of a month.
On August 9, 2022 at 11:40 a.m., Syracuse firefighters were alerted by the 911 Center to a possible fire at 1025 James Street, the Jamesview Apartments. Firefighters from Truck 4 (Shuart Ave.) arrived in fewer than three minutes to find a two-story, brick apartment building with smoke coming from an apartment on the left side of the building.
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Firefighters performed searches in the smoke-charged apartment, looking for the location of fire and victims, while other firefighters simultaneously stretched a 300-foot attack handline into the apartment. The fire was located, extinguished and contained to the single apartment, which was found to be unoccupied.
There was no fire spread to the rest of the apartments in the building. One occupant was displaced. No occupants or firefighters were injured. The apartment did have functioning smoke detectors.
Crews remained on scene to ventilate smoke and toxic gases from the apartment. The fire is under investigation by Syracuse Fire investigators. A press release from the department gave a nod to the 911 Center, National Grid, Syracuse Police, AMR, and the American Red Cross.
Fires in apartment buildings are particularly hazardous due to the number of residents concentrated in the structure. The release from the department advised residents not prop-open apartment doors and doors to stairwells, which act as lifesaving barriers to prevent the spread of deadly smoke and toxic gases, in addition to fire.