SYRACUSE, N.Y. – On Sunday, June 9, 2024, at 5:25 p.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted by the Onondaga County 911 Center to a reported structure fire near the intersection of West Colvin Street and Kirkwood Place, on the City’s South Side. Firefighters from Station 3, on Bellevue Ave., arrived on the scene two-and-a-half-minutes later and found heavy smoke and fire coming from the second-floor windows of a house at 108 Kirkwood Place. A signal ‘99’ was transmitted, indicating a working a fire.
Additional firefighters arrived at the scene as crews set to work to put out the flames. Boards covered doors and windows on the first floor of the one-and-a-half-story vacant building, hampering firefighters’ efforts to get hoses inside. As teams of firefighters worked to gain access, water was sprayed from outside to keep the flames in check. As soon as the doors were cleared, hose teams and search teams moved aggressively to the second floor of the home. While some teams worked to search the building for any trapped occupants, other teams set to work extinguishing the flames. Facing thick, dark smoke and intense heat, firefighters extinguished the flames preventing further fire spread, and were able to confirm that the building was empty.
The fire was brought under control in approximately 10 minutes and teams shifted to an overhaul operation, checking for hotspots and clearing smoke from the structure. The fire was declared out after approximately 30 minutes. Syracuse Fire Investigators were at the scene working to determine the origin and cause of the fire. The second floor of the building suffered fire, smoke, and water damage. The first floor of the home also sustained water damage. Investigators have determined that the fire, which was intentionally set, began in a second-floor bedroom. The home was vacant at the time the fire occurred. There were no injuries reported to civilians or to Fire Department personnel.
A total of 37 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, and National Grid.