Albany, NY - On June 27, 2024, in the early hours of the morning around 2:48 a.m., multiple calls began to pour into the City of Albany’s communication center and the dispatchers began to answer the calls for help at 97 Clinton Street. Multiple callers reported the building to be on fire. Engine 5, Truck 1, Engine 1, Engine 7, Rescue 9, the Rescue Squad, Truck 4, Mohawk Ambulance Service, and the Battalion Chief responded to the scene. 

As units were responding to the scene the dispatcher notified them that the police department was on scene with heavy smoke showing. Engine 5 arrived on scene with one person down near the sidewalk that had jumped from the building as heavy fire was blowing out of the third-floor portion of the structure. Command immediately requested the ambulances to step it up to the scene and as firefighters made their way to the rear of the building, they discovered another person that had jumped from the building that was injured.

With heavy fire pushing from the second floor landing and the fire pushing up into the third floor from the stairwell, firefighters immediately deployed an inch and three-quarter hand line and began to make an aggressive push to the second floor of the structure. Firefighters that were arriving on scene immediately deployed to the front of the building and quickly made their way behind the crew in the stairwell to go above the fire floor as there was still reports of people inside of the building. 

Firefighters in the rear the building notified command they had heavy fire blowing out the rear of the building and heavy fire on the stairs. Command radio notified them to transmit the second-alarm and requested three ambulances to the scene for the victims from the fire building. The dispatcher requested Rescue 1, Engine 2, Truck 2, and Engine 11 to respond to the scene of the second-alarm structure fire.

Firefighters continued to make an aggressive push up the stairwell where they encountered heavy smoke and heavy fire pushing down on them. Firefighters in the rear of the building quickly loaded one of the victims onto a stretcher and transported them to Albany Medical Center. They quickly set up a blitz fire and began to knock down the heavy fire from the exterior portion of the building to provide relief to the firefighters inside of the building that were trying to make an aggressive interior attack and conduct a search to make sure everybody was out of the building. 

As firefighters were working, the engine company on scene ran out of water as crews were setting up the hydrant. Heavy fire blew through the roof of the structure and throughout the third floor out the front and rear of the building. Command requested the evacuation tones to be transmitted as they were going to go defensive temporarily.

Command notified the dispatcher that they had two additional victims on scene from the fire and they were going to be transported to the hospital. Command requested additional ambulances to the scene. Firefighters on the exterior portion of the structure set up Truck 1 and a master stream in the front of the building and as soon as the hydrants were established firefighters immediately went into defensive operations driving back the heavy fire. 

For a short period of time firefighters utilized their master streams darkening down a significant portion of the third floor and second floor. Command authorized firefighters to re-enter the building and continue to knock down the remaining fire on the second floor of the structure. Command requested an additional rescue company to the scene. Firefighters inside of the structure continued to conduct overhaul and knock down hotspots throughout the second and third floor.

Firefighters on the exterior portion of the structure utilized the truck companies master streams to knock down the fire that was running the cockloft area. After firefighters knocked down the remaining portion of the fire, they continued to overhaul the scene until the early hours of the morning. 

Fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire. The injuries from the fire were all non-life-threatening and all of the fire victims are expected to recover from their injuries.