TROY, NY - On February 2nd, Troy Firefighter Matt Fusco and Lieutenant Conor Patenaude were leaving their building at the Stoneledge Terrace Apartments to attend the Troy Fire Department Collar City Classic hockey game at the RPI Houston Field house when they noticed smoke coming from the other side of the building. Investigating further, they discovered a fire on the porch of a third-floor apartment and immediately sprang into action. One firefighter rushed to grab a fire extinguisher while the other began evacuating the building. As they worked, multiple calls were being made to the Rensselaer County Emergency Communication Center reporting the fire. At 2:23 P.M., the dispatcher dropped the alarm of fire tones, bringing Engine 1 in as a spare rig, Truck 1, Engine 4, Engine 2, the rescue squad, Truck 2, Medic 4 and the battalion chief to the scene. As units were in route to the scene, Lt. Conor Patenaude attempted to knock the fire down on the porch, but the flames had got ahead of him and into the attic area, and he was forced to back out of the building.

Engine 1 arrived on scene and immediately transmitted the Signal 30 for a working structure fire, as they had heavy fire showing from the front of the building with heavy smoke pushing from the roof area. Engine 1’s crew immediately deployed a garden lay to the front of the building and was met with the firefighters that helped evacuate the structure and notified them that everyone was out of the building. The battalion chief arrived on scene and due to the size of the structure, transmitted the second-alarm, bringing the City of Cohoes FD, Engine 6 from the City of Troy, and Watervliet Arsenal FD to the scene.

Engine 1's pump operator connected to the hydrant nearby as firefighters were making the stretch inside of the apartment building to attempt to make it to the third-floor to knock down the fire. As firefighters made it to the main fire floor, they requested multiple times the line to be charged, as they had heavy fire and smoke on the third-floor of the structure. Engine 1, a spare piece of apparatus that is over 25-years-old and was placed into service due to multiple mechanical malfunctions on the current Engine 1, was experiencing pump failure. Firefighters connected to Truck 1 on scene, established a water supply with them and connected the garden lay to the truck company. Engine 1’s pump operator took over running Truck 1, allowing for those firefighters to make their way to the roof of the structure.

Engine 4 established another water supply nearby as firefighters deployed another garden lay to the front of the building. As they were doing so, members from the rescue squad began to conduct a search of the building along with additional members from Engine 2. Firefighters had heavy smoke pushing from the roof area of the building, and the truck company's crew was not able to access the roof due to the icy conditions. Command, seeing conditions rapidly changing, ordered the evacuation tones until firefighters could establish a water supply. The Watervliet Arsenal FD and City of Cohoes FD arrived on scene and the Watervliet Arsenal FD’s truck company went to work setting up on the side of building 13.

As firefighters were able to get the water supply established and lines charged, they began to knock down the heavy fire condition on the exterior portion of the structure. Firefighters from the truck company opened up one of the side vents on the building and utilized a master stream across the roof inside of the structure, quickly knocking down the fire that had extended into the structure from the fire on the exterior portion of the building. Firefighters on the third-floor were able to bring the fire under control after their water supply was established. As firefighters made their way outside, they began to exchange their air bottles, but due to the freezing cold temperatures, the quick releases on the air packs would not work and had to utilize the exhaust on the apparatus to free up the frozen quick releases. As firefighters continued to work on scene, conditions inside of the structure and on the exterior portion of the structure began to improve.

Within 30 minutes, firefighters had the entire incident under control. Fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire. No injuries were reported. Numerous residences inside of the apartment building were displaced from the fire. Thanks to Firefighter Fusco and Lieutenant Patenaude’s swift actions and their efforts to ensure that all residents safely evacuated, they prevented what could have been a devastating tragedy. By the time the Troy FD arrived on scene, the immediate danger had been minimized, allowing firefighters to focus on containing the fire before it could extend to the second-floor of the structure. Their quick thinking and bravery not only saved countless lives, but also prevented serious injuries among the residents. The action of these individuals serves as a testament of the dedication these firefighters, both on duty and off duty, provide that protect their communities every day.