On November 19, 2024, at 3:45 PM, the city of Albany’s dispatch center began to receive numerous calls for a reported structure fire at 28 Bassett Street. Multiple callers reported the building to be on fire. Engine one, engine ten, engine eleven, engine seven, rescue one, engine nine, ladder four, the rescue squad, the battalion chief, and Mohawk Ambulance Service called in route to the scene. One caller reported one person was in the basement apartment. As units were in route to the call a thick heavy column of smoke was visible from the highway and began to wrap around the highway area of 787 slowing traffic down. The first arriving engine on scene immediately transmitted the signal thirty as they had a heavy fire condition out the rear of the structure coming from the basement and heavy smoke showing from the first and second floor of the building.

Command notified all of the units that there were people inside the structure. Firefighters immediately deployed a hand line to the rear of the building and called for water. Firefighters in the front of the structure stretched the hand line up the center of the stairs as a firefighter worked to remove the plywood from the front door of the structure. Firefighters from the truck company utilized a K-12 saw to start to cut the bars off the windows of the house. Firefighters in the rear of the building conducted an aggressive interior attack inside of the structure. On scene firefighters were able to locate the victim from the building and turned the victim over to Mohawk Ambulance Service with serious burns. Firefighters continued to make access to the structure. Within a few minutes firefighters had the fire in the basement area completely knocked down and firefighters forced their way into the first floor of the structure where they knocked all of the plywood off of the front of the building.

Firefighters conducted an extensive search of the building to make sure everybody was out. Firefighters on the first floor knocked down any fire that had made its way up from the basement. Firefighters on the second floor conducted ventilation of the front windows. Albany police detectives arrived on scene and began to conduct an investigation into the fire with the City of Albany’s Fire Department investigators. One individual was detained on scene. Firefighters conducted extensive overhaul of the building for an extended period of time. One firefighter was injured on scene. The fire is currently under investigation at this time and no further details were released to the public.