Syracuse, NY- On June 25, 2023, at 8:46 a.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted by the Onondaga County 911 Center to a reported fire at the corner of Lexington Ave. and Westmoreland Ave., on the City’s East side. Callers reported seeing a large column of smoke from as far away as Teall Ave., and I-690. Firefighters from Station 10 on East Genesee Street reported seeing smoke as they were pulling out of the firehouse to respond. They arrived on the scene at 401 Westmoreland Ave. just over two minutes after the initial dispatch to find a two-and-a-half-story home with heavy fire showing from the front of the house. A signal ‘99’ was transmitted.
Teams from the initial arriving units began to stretch hoses into the home, while other teams attempted to enter to search for trapped occupants. Firefighters were driven back by intense heat and thick smoke as they pushed inside. The fire quickly spread, consuming all three floors of the home. The decision was made by command on scene to fight the fire from the outside. Complicating matters, power lines from the house burned away, falling into the front yard. Firefighters utilized elevated waterways from apparatus in the street to douse the flames. A second alarm was needed to bring the fire under control. It took nearly two hours to extinguish the majority of the fire.
One firefighter suffered from heat exhaustion while battling the blaze. They were treated by medical units on the scene and were able to continue working. At the time of this release, fire units were still on the scene. Fire Department units will rotate through the scene throughout the day and into the night to perform a ‘fire watch’ to look out for any possible rekindle of the fire. There were no civilian injuries reported, all occupants escaped safely prior to fire department arrival.
Syracuse Fire Investigators were on the scene, however due to the extensive damage to the home, their investigation was limited to what could be done safely. The house is considered a total loss due to extensive fire damage. The roof of the structure collapsed early on in the operation, and several other portions of the home, including a chimney, were in danger of further collapse. Firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby homes. Seven occupants were displaced by this fire. They are being assisted by the American Red Cross.
A total of 51 personnel, from 8 different City Fire stations, responded to this alarm, including command and support staff. 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.