On April 14, 2026 at 6:48 PM, the Rensselaer County Emergency Communication Center began to receive multiple calls reporting a townhouse on fire at 63 Plaza Avenue in the Clinton Heights Fire District. As the incident was being dispatched the Rensselaer County Emergency Communication Center was handling numerous calls as a violent thunderstorm had moved through the area causing multiple down powerlines, down trees, and other emergencies throughout the county. Clinton Hights Fire Departments Chief called in route to the scene and requested the Defreestville Fire Department for their rapid intervention crew to the scene. The chief arrived on scene with heavy fire and smoke showing from the front of the structure beginning to extend up to the second floor.

Truck eight and engine eight-five arrived on scene and immediately went to work knocking down the heavy fire condition in the front of the house. Firefighters quickly began to ladder the front of the building and forced entry into the structure and began to conduct a primary search. Engine eight-five established a water supply at the end of the street and as they were doing so Rescue nine and engine nine-six arrived on scene with the rapid intervention crew. Firefighters continue to work on scene to knock down the fire that had extended into the second floor area and firefighters began to pull the ceilings inside of the townhome. Command requested additional resources from the East Greenbush Fire Department to the scene as they were operating nearby on a fire alarm.

Firefighters began to pull apart the front of the structure exposing areas that had extension but within six minutes of arrival firefighters had all of the heavy fire condition knocked down. Firefighters inside of the structure were able to confirm that everyone was out of the structure and there was no one home. Firefighters continued for an extended period of time conducting overhaul and hitting hotspots. Command requested the City of Rensselaer Fire investigation unit to the scene to conduct the fire investigation into the fire. Firefighters while conducting overhaul was able to preserve one of the family members American flags and safely removed it from the home before it could be damaged.

Firefighters worked for an extended period of time inside of the home and on the exterior portion of the home conducting extensive overhaul. Firefighters went back into service later in the evening. The fire is currently under investigation and the cause of the fire has not been released. No injuries have been reported.