Firefighters Respond to East Laurel Street Fire

Published on March 08, 2024

Syracuse, NY- On Friday, March 8, 2024, at 4:57 a.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted by the Onondaga County 911 Center to a reported structure fire at 511 East Laurel Street. Firefighters from Station 2, on Lodi Street, arrived on the scene moments later to find a two-and-a-half-story house with fire and smoke billowing out of the back of the building. A signal ‘99’ was transmitted, indicating a working fire.

The first arriving units went to work stretching hoses to the building and evaluating the conditions. The structure was known to be vacant, and all the first-floor doors and windows were boarded up. As additional crews arrived at the scene, firefighters used power tools to gain access to the building. While this was happening, other teams of firefighters flowed water into the structure where the fire had burned through windows, to keep the flames in check. The decision was made by command staff at the scene to initiate an exterior, defensive operation. Firefighters continued to flow water into doors and windows and knock down fire on both floors of the building, which was now nearly fully involved in fire.

Crews utilized master stream devices and elevated waterways, capable of flowing up to 1000 gallons of water per minute, to douse the flames from the outside. The fire was brought under control after approximately 60 minutes. The home suffered extensive damage throughout, and a partial collapse in the back of the building. Firefighters were not able to enter the building. They remained on the scene flowing water and chasing stubborn hotspots for over 2 hours. The fire was declared out after 140 minutes.  At one point, a water main near the scene broke, causing minor issues for crews at the scene as they needed to shift to a second hydrant being utilized. A prompt response from City Water Department representatives to bring the break under control prevented more serious issues from developing.

Syracuse Fire Investigators were at the scene working to determine the origin and cause of the fire. That investigation is ongoing. The building was known to be vacant. There were no injuries reported to civilians or Fire Department personnel.

A total of 39 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. We thank our partners at the 911 Center, SPD, AMR, National Grid, and the City of Syracuse Water Department.