Syracuse, NY- On July 2, 2023, at 1:51 a.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted by the Onondaga County 911 center to a possible fire in the area of East Laurel and South Alvord Streets, on the City’s Near Northeast Side. Firefighters arrived in the area in just over a minute and a half. When they arrived, they found a two-and-a-half story home at 728 E. Laurel Street with fire blowing out the windows on the second floor and attic on the front and sides of the building. The fire was spreading to neighboring buildings on either side. A signal ‘99’ was transmitted. There were initial reports that someone might still be inside the structure, so firefighters mounted an aggressive attack on the fire.
Crews immediately began stretching hoses into the structure, as well as searching for trapped victims. The large, well involved fire eventually forced firefighters into a defensive operation, and they exited the building to fight the flames from the outside, but not before confirming that the first floor was clear of victims, and the home was vacant when the fire started. Additional fire companies were called to the scene to assist with the firefight.
As additional units arrived, teams were re-deployed into neighboring homes, which had begun to catch fire due to the intense flames and heat from the original address. Firefighters were able to limit the damage in the neighboring homes, and sprayed hoses from the attic of one of the structures into the main fire building. The main fire took nearly two-and-a-half hours to fully extinguish.
The original fire building suffered heavy fire damage; the structure partially collapsed in multiple locations during the operation. The building is considered a total loss. The neighboring homes also sustained moderate fire and water damage. The occupants of both neighboring structures were displaced due to the damage and were being assisted by the American Red Cross. Syracuse Fire Investigators were on the scene, working to determine the origin and cause of the fire. It is still under investigation. There were no injuries reported to civilians or to fire personnel.
A total of 45 fire personnel responded to this fire, including command and support staff. Syracuse Fire Department Ambulance, Syracuse Police, National Grid, American Medical Response, and the American Red Cross responded to the scene as well. We thank our partners at the 911 Center, SPD, AMR, National Grid, and the Red Cross. This was the 41st major structure fire in the City of Syracuse this year.