Fire on Wayne Street in Historic Hawley-Green Neighborhood

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – On Thursday, June 27, 2024, at 1:44 p.m., Syracuse Firefighters were alerted by the Onondaga County 911 Center to a report of a possible structure fire at 128 Wayne Street in the City’s Hawley-Green Neighborhood. Firefighters from Station 9, on Shuart Ave., arrived on the scene just over two-and-a-half minutes later. The first arriving units reported seeing smoke issuing from the eaves and rear of the two-story home. A signal ’99’ was transmitted, indicating a working fire.

 

Firefighters from the first arriving units stretched hoses into the structure and attempted to locate the source of the smoke as additional units arrived at the scene. Incoming crews stretched additional hoses and began methodical searches of the building for trapped occupants. Crews encountered moderate smoke on the first floor and quickly determined that the fire was in the basement. Basement fires can pose unique challenges for firefighters. Limited access means firefighters are forced to descend into the basement via stairs that become chimneys for smoke and super-heated gases from the fire. Hose and search teams pushed down the stairs through blinding smoke and high heat into the basement and located the fire there. Firefighters achieved a quick knockdown of the main body of fire and prevented it from spreading to the rest of the home. Searches of all floors of the building proved negative. The home was determined to be vacant.

 

The basement of the home sustained fire, smoke, and water damage. The first and second floors also sustained smoke and water damage. The home was determined to be vacant at the time the fire occurred. The fire was declared out after approximately 20 minutes. Syracuse Fire Investigators have determined that the fire began in the basement. An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing. There were no injuries reported to civilians or to 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, and National Grid.