TROY, NY - On September 22nd at 5:23 A.M., the City of Troy's fire department was dispatched to the address of 486 Fifth Avenue with a caller stating that the house was on fire on the second floor. Engines 1, 4 and 2, along with Trucks 1 and 2, Medic 4, the rescue squad, and the battalion chief responded to the scene.

With heavy flashes of lightning in the morning sky with a pending storm coming, Engine 1 and Truck 1 pulled out of the station with a heavy column of smoke and fire showing from the distance. Within one minute of the call, Engine 1 arrived on scene and immediately transmitted the Signal 30 for a working structure fire. Engine 1's officer notified the battalion chief that they had multiple exposure issues on both sides of the structure. Without hesitation, the battalion chief transmitted the second-alarm, bringing the City of Cohoes, Watervliet Arsenal FD, and the City of Albany’s FD to the scene. Firefighters from Engine 1 deployed multiple hand lines into the structure as they had heavy fire impinging on neighboring structures.

Crews made their way inside the structure where they conducted a primary search and were able to confirm that all of the residents had self-evacuated from the structure. Firefighters from the truck company made their way to the roof and began to conduct ventilation where they had heavy fire running the cockloft. Firefighters inside the structure began to conduct an aggressive interior attack while additional firefighters made their way inside the neighboring structure that had fire impinging on it from the 'Delta' side.

Firefighters inside the primary fire building pulled the ceilings and began to knock down the heavy fire condition above them while firefighters in the bucket of Truck 1 began to pull the front of the building apart to gain access to the heavy fire condition. As firefighters were working in the front of the structure, a large portion of the front façade collapsed onto the steps below. Additional mutual aid companies began to arrive on scene and assist in conducting overhaul, and knocking down any remaining fire.

Multiple residents were displaced, but no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Firefighters cleared the scene in the late morning hours.