ALBANY, NY - On January 7th at 2:46 P.M., the City of Albany's Fire Department was dispatched to 610 3rd Street for a structure fire. The dispatcher notified all units that they were taking multiple calls on the fire. Engines 7, 9 and 5, along with Rescue 9, Trucks 3 and 2, Mohawk Ambulance Service and the battalion chief were dispatched to the scene. Engine 7 notified the dispatcher that they had smoke showing from a few blocks out, as police on scene began to evacuate the neighboring structure.

A few moments later, Engine 7 arrived on scene and had heavy fire showing on the front of the structure and heavy fire out the rear of the building and beginning to spread to the neighboring structure. Command transmitted the second-alarm, bringing additional resources to the scene. Firefighters began deploying multiple hand lines along with two-and-a-half-inch hand lines to the front of the structure to knock down the heavy fire condition. Firefighters connected to the hydrant across the street and command had another engine grab another fire hydrant down the block and lay in to establish another water supply.

Firefighters in the rear of the building began knocking down the heavy fire condition on the Delta side of the structure and the siding that was on fire on the exposure building. An additional truck company came in off the street behind the property, took up position in a vacant lot and began to extend their ladder over the back of the building. As firefighters continued to work, heavy fire traveled throughout the structure and in the rear of the building there was a partial collapse. Plywood on the windows of the structure made it difficult for firefighters to gain access to the fire in the building. Fire on the Bravo side blew through the building and firefighters quickly began to knock down all of the visible fire.

With heavy fire still pushing from the building, the two truck companies in front of the structure set up and began connecting to a water supply, waiting for command to give them the go ahead to go into master stream operations. Firefighters in the front of the structure moved away from the building and set up a blitz fire in the roadway. Command notified all units that they were going into master stream operations. Firefighters from the truck companies and the crews with the blitz fires switched into master stream operations, quickly knocking down the heavy fire condition within minutes.

Firefighters continued to utilize master stream operations for an extended period of time. Crews in the exposure building were able to knock down the heavy fire condition on the side and overhaul the inside of the building. No injuries on scene were reported, and the fire is under investigation at this time.