TROY, NY - On April 16, 2025, at 4:56 AM, the City of Troy Fire Department was dispatched to multiple calls reporting a structure fire at 303 2nd Street. Engine Six, Engine Four, Truck One, Truck Two, the Rescue Squad, and the Battalion Chief responded to the scene. The dispatcher informed the Battalion Chief that there was a working fire at the location.

At the time, Engine Three was on a medical call on the Eastside of the city with Medic Two, which took Engine Two out of service due to cross-staffing. Medic Four was transporting a patient to the hospital on an EMS call, taking them off the box alarm, and Truck One — which cross-staffs Medic One — was also unavailable. This left no medic units available for other emergency calls in the city.

Engine Six, located only one block away, notified dispatch that they were arriving on scene with heavy fire showing from the first floor of a two-story duplex, with exposure issues. They transmitted a Signal Thirty for a working structure fire. With fire pushing from the front of the structure, firefighters immediately deployed a 1¾-inch hand line. The officer notified dispatch of heavy fire impinging on an exposure building and transmitted a second alarm.

The second alarm brought mutual aid from the City of Watervliet Fire Department and the Watervliet Arsenal Fire Department. Firefighters encountered a boarded-up doorway on the opposite side of the fire building and were initially unsure if the structure was occupied. The officer on Engine Six then reported multiple explosions from the front of the structure and indicated they would initiate a transitional attack.

While this was underway, a burn victim approached firefighters with burns to the hands, having self-extricated from the second floor.

Additional Troy Fire Department resources arrived on scene. Firefighters made an aggressive interior push on the first floor, quickly beginning fire suppression. Truck Two set up behind Engine Six, and firefighters accessed the roof for vertical ventilation. A ladder was thrown to a second-floor window for access. Meanwhile, Engine One moved up to Central Station as it was the only unit in the city still available for other calls.

Firefighters conducted primary searches of the first and second floors and confirmed there were no remaining occupants. They continued knocking down hotspots and checked the second floor for vertical fire extension.

Engine Three cleared its EMS call and responded to assist at the fire. Mutual aid crews supported suppression and overhaul operations.

Firefighters on the roof reported light smoke pushing from vent holes and the scuttle. Crews on the first floor were able to knock down the bulk of the fire within minutes, thanks to aggressive tactics. Firefighters forced entry into the adjacent apartment — which was connected but boarded up — to check for fire extension or the presence of squatters.

Crews remained on scene for an extended period, overhauling the destroyed first-floor apartment and checking the second-floor knee wall for further fire spread.

Approximately 20 minutes into the second alarm, Medic Four cleared the hospital and arrived on scene to transport the burn victim to Albany Medical Center. No firefighters were injured, and the cause of the fire is under investigation. The street was reopened later in the morning.