Fire crews responded to a small fire inside Oakdale Mall Wednesday morning.
The Johnson City Fire Marshall Bob Blakeslee told 12 News a small fire broke out inside one of the mall’s stores around 1:25 a.m. He said a sprinkler was tripped and was able to put out the fire safely.
There were no injuries in the incident, and the extent of the damage is unknown at this time.
Blakeslee could not confirm the impacted store.
12 News expects to learn more information throughout the morning.
When the firefighters reached the second-floor of the building, with the gasoline odor even more noticeable, they observed a charred trail where a fire had been burning, until the sprinkler system had extinguished it.
Fire officials said that most of the building’s occupants had evacuated the building when the alarm activated in the building. As they continued their inspection, firefighters discovered that an entry door to a specific apartment had sustained fire damage prior to their arrival.
The initial investigation indicates that an accelerant, presumably gasoline, was poured in the second-floor hallway, and intentionally ignited. The sprinkler system extinguished the fire. The City of Poughkeepsie Police were called to the scene to investigate the possible criminal act.
No injuries were reported. Officials noted that ceiling tiles on the first floor had sustained water damage from the sprinklers and fell to the floor.
Over the past several weeks, the fire department has responded to several calls at the address. On one occasion, a gas can was placed in the building and evidence indicates that an attempt to ignite it had occurred. On another date, firefighters responded to a similar call.
City of Poughkeepsie Police have responded to the building several times in recent weeks as well. On one date, they responded to a call of gunfire that resulted in bullets entering an occupied apartment. More recently, a drug raid was conducted at an apartment in the building, resulting in a seizure of guns, drugs, and cash. Arrests were made during that incident.
Sources have told Mid Hudson News that the police are investigating the Monday morning fire as a possible arson. Anyone with information is asked to call 845-451-7577.
The Ithaca Fire Department responded to a call for a fire alarm activation at Titus Towers, an apartment complex on South Plain Street just before 10pm Friday.
Smoke could be seen coming from the building outside but once inside, responders found that the fire was contained to one apartment. The fire was still burning when help arrived, but sprinklers were able to keep it under control.
Firefighters rescued one person in the apartment as well as a neighboring tenant uninjured.
Responders credit the working smoke detector, fire alarm, and sprinkler system for keeping the fire contained and everyone safe. Following apartment damage the Ithaca Housing Authority is now helping the occupants with clean up and accommodations.
Camden Fire Department received a call for 128 Main St. at about 9:30 p.m.
On arrival, Camden Chief Brian Christmas said there was a working fire visible from a second-story bedroom of the three-story structure. Christmas said initial reports indicated that there were two people missing from the second floor, but they were later located and brought to safety.
Florence, McConnellsville, and Taberg volunteer fire companies responded with mutual aid at 9:38 p.m., with North Bay coming to the scene approximately four minutes later. Camden Ambulance remained on stand-by.
The chief said between 45-50 firefighters total battled the blaze through an interior attack, which took about 45 minutes before it was deemed under control.
“There was a sprinkler system that had activated, which really helped the firefighting efforts,” Christmas said.
State Emergency Medical Services and the county fire coordinator also assisted at the scene, the chief said.
No injuries were reported.
“There was a lot of water damage” as well as smoke damage throughout the building, Christmas said, which led to the displacement of the residents. “Fire damage was contained to the one bedroom, but there was quite a bit of damage there.”
Cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
The chief said the American Red Cross responded to assist and set up temporary cots for the displaced residents at a neighboring church in the village.
The Dunkirk Fire received an alarm activation call at 4:40 a.m. Friday. Upon investigation, plant maintenance reported smoke visible on the second floor of the plant office area.
Firefighters made entry and noticed the smoke condition. Hose lines were advanced and the fire was found in the ceiling above the second floor advancing into a third floor storage area.
The plant sprinkler system had activated and contained the fire to the general area of origin. Fire crews extinguished the remainder of visible fire and performed ventilation of smoke in the building.
East Dunkirk Fire and ALSTAR ambulance assisted at the fire with West Dunkirk Fire on standby.
Investigators from the City of Dunkirk and Chautauqua County determined the cause of the fire to be started by electrical wiring.
One firefighter was evaluated for a minor injury but remained on duty.
Falls firefighters said the driver was making a lunchtime delivery on the 15th floor of the Niagara Towers apartment building when he discovered a fire there.
“He saw smoke coming out of an apartment and a person on the ground,” Falls Fire Chief Joe Pedulla sad.
Pedulla said crews from the 10th Street Fire Station, just around the corner from the apartment building, were returning to their hall at the time the fire call came in.
“It’s ironic but they had spent the morning at the fire training tower working on high-rise structure fires,” the fire chief said. “It’s mot something we train for extensively, but the timing was good today.”
As firefighters arrived on the scene, they found the Meals on Wheels driver and the occupant of the 15th floor apartment outside the building on the front lawn. Both were suffering form smoke inhalation. “(Firefighters) saw smoke coming out of the 15th floor, and the driver had helped the resident downstairs,” Pedula said. “We feared that they might be more people on the 15th floor with smoke inhalation.”
But when firefighters arrived on the 15th floor they found no additional victims.
The driver and the occupant of the apartment were hospitalized for treatment.
Pedulla said firefighters attached a hose to a 14th floor standpipe and then battled the fire in the apartment. A sprinkler system in the building helped suppress the fire and kept it from spreading.
The chief said the fire damage was “extensive” but limited to the apartment where the blaze began. He said other floors in the building suffered water damage from the sprinkler system.
The cause of the fire was listed as electrical, stemming from an air conditioner being powered off of an extension cord.
The fire was mostly contained to a fifth floor storage area at 280 Broadway, but was kept to a minimum by the building sprinkler system that a requirement in all commercial buildings over 40 feet high, including city-owned buildings.
No injuries were reported, though traffic on Broadway at Chambers Street was snarled for nearly an hour.
The fire went to an “all-hands” bringing in more than 50 firefighters on scene, who conducted a search throughout the building and were able to establish that the offices were safe to return. There were few workers in the building because of the Presidents Day holiday.
DOB officials did not respond as to how much damage the offices may have incurred.
The building, the former newspaper headquarters for the New York City Sun from 1833-1950, still has the original clock on the building, but hasn’t worked in years. The City Sun was resurrected from 2002 to 2008 by investor Conrad Black, but then shut it down. The Department of Buildings later established their headquarters in the building. The building was made a landmark in 1986.
At one point, firefighters were unable to remove a hose that was connected to a fire truck. Efforts to remove the hose resulted in the hydrant exploding from underneath, causing a geyser in front of the building. It was quickly controlled, though DEP would be called to repair and hydrant.
A report issued by the fire department Thursday said the fire at the Potter Road business, located off Five Mile Road, was determined to be accidental in nature following an investigation by Allegany fire investigators.
Gordon Scott, spokesman for the Allegany department, said there were no injuries as firefighters from several area departments were called to the scene battled the blaze.
In addition, Scott said no employees had been at the lumber company when the fire broke out.
A report from the fire department said, “due to the large industrial building and large amount of timber within the building, a large mutual aid request was put out to include Westons Mills, Knapp Creek, town of Olean, Hinsdale, Limestone, city of Olean, Portville, Cuba, Deputy 4 and National Grid.
“Engine 31 arrived on scene and began an interior fire attack while the Truck 6 crew set the tower and went to the roof,” the report stated. “Due to the sprinkler system and an aggressive interior attack, the fire damage was contained to the electrical room and a small portion of the roof above the mill.”
The fire department also thanked “all the mutual aid that responded and the multiple standby companies” that covered the mutual aid districts.
For his part, Scott said it was not only a late night but also “an early morning” for firefighters.
He said fire investigators were not able to assess the amount of damage incurred. He noted the power was shut off to the entire company by National Grid during the incident.
Messages seeking comment from officials with Potter Lumber were not returned Thursday.
An employee at Potter Lumber said the company office was open on Thursday, but didn’t indicate whether the plant was operating.
“We’re still assessing the rest of the damage,” the employee said.
A company website noted Potter Lumber specializes in the production of green and kiln dried hardwood lumber.
A fire broke out at the service center of a Walmart supercenter in Geneva Wednesday afternoon.
Employees were evacuated and traffic was redirected at the intersection of Routes 5 and 20 and Berry Fields Road by Geneva Fire Department.
White Springs Fire Association responded, with assistance from Geneva Fire, the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Services along with Finger Lakes Ambulance.
Walmart employees were not permitted to comment and referred press inquiries to the company’s public relations hotline.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The White Springs Fire Chief says a call came in at around 12:30 p.m., and some employees reported flames up to the ceiling in certain sections of the store.
A second alarm was called after firefighters arrived on the scene.
Firefighters say the sprinkler system activated, and extinguished a majority of the fire.
There was heavy smoke and fire damage to the building.
UB spokesman John DellaContrada said Friday that a student built a device called a Stirling motor for a thermodynamics project in Room 706, the lounge of UB’s engineering fraternity.
UB’s campus newspaper, the Spectrum, reported that after the student left for dinner, an electric current ignited a piece of steel wool in the project, causing the fire, which spread to some furniture.
Della Contrada was unable to confirm that scenario, but he said the fire appeared to be accidental. The student has cooperated with university police, but a report from a state fire investigator is still pending, he said.
“Because this is believed to be an accident, University Police have not referred the case to UB’s student conduct office,” Della Contrada said.
The building’s sprinkler system and Amherst firefighters extinguished the blaze. No one was hurt.
