FORT EDWARD, NY - On Tuesday, May 13th at 6:52 P.M., the Washington County Department of Public Safety's Communications Center received multiple 911 reports of a possible residential structure fire at the address of 547 Lower Elizabeth Street, in the Village of Fort Edward. The Fort Edward Fire Department was dispatched to the scene, with mutual aid on stand-by for a first-alarm assignment.

After the initial call, units from the Washington County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene to gain confirmation of if the call was credible. Upon the arrival of unit 346, they advised the Department of Public Safety that there was a working residential structure fire with smoke and flames showing. The Washington County Department of Public Safety then advised the Fort Edward Fire Department that it was a working structure fire with flames visible. The Fort Edward Fire Department's Car 27 and RT-271 quickly responded to the scene, and alerted the Washington County Department of Public Safety Communications that there was flames pushing out of the 1st and 2nd floors of the residence. Fort Edward Fire Department's Car 27 advised Washington County Communications to upgrade to a 1st Alarm assignment, pulling mutual aid from the Fort Edward Rescue Squad for a Priority 3 stand-by, as well as mutual aid from the South Glens Falls Fire Company for F.A.S.T., manpower and apparatus to the scene; Fort Edward Rescue Squad's Ambulances 2753 and 2754, along with South Glens Falls Fire Companies ER-586.

Shortly after the 1st Alarm assignment was declared, Fort Edward Fire Department's Car 2702, ER-273 and Tower 274 arrived on scene, with members doing a primary 360 of the residence, declaring heavy fire from the A, B and C sides of the structure, with a possible endangered structure on the D side. (Two) one-and-three-quarter-inch hand lines were stretched and placed in operation by the arriving crews, with one line on the front A side of the structure for an attack on the main body of fire, with the second hand line being placed in the rear C side of the structure to make an aggressive fire attack.

By this point, the Washington County Bureau of Fire and Saratoga County Bureau of Fire were dispatched for fire coordinators and investigators, with Washington County Bureau of Fire Car 1, Car 3, and Saratoga County Bureau of Fire Car 3 responding to the scene along with fire investigators.

With the heavy fire coming from the structure, and another smaller structure in close proximity to the main structure, Fort Edward Fire Department's Car 27 alerted communications to start a 2nd Alarm assignment and further mutual aid to the scene, pulling resources from the Hudson Falls Fire Department, Kingsbury Volunteer Hose Company, Argyle Fire and Rescue, and the South Queensbury Fire Department to the scene. This also pulled the Middle Falls Fire Department to stand-by at the Fort Edward Fire Station and West Glens Falls Fire Company to stand-by at the Hudson Falls Fire Station for cover assignments for the Fort Edward Fire District and Hudson Falls Fire District's respectively.

Upon the handlines being stretched to the rear C side of the structure, crews faced heavy fire conditions throughout, with flames aggressively coming out of the structure. With the heavy fire conditions, an aggressive attack was made, and crews pushed up into the residence to knock down the main body of fire. While crews were battling harsh fire conditions inside the structure, part of the 2nd floor eventually caved in with imminent collapse, which resulted in crews being pulled out of the structure, due to the possible collapse, combined with extreme hoarder conditions. A defensive attack was then made, with crews making multiple access points to gain access to different bodies of fire through the residence. With crews being pulled out, Fort Edward Fire Department's Tower 274's ladder was placed into operation, with it in place for a master stream to assist in getting the large body of the fire knocked down on the 2nd floor where crews could no longer safely access.

With the arrival of the mutual departments, crews immediately started to stretch lines to the nearest hydrants for additional water flow, with Hudson Falls Fire Department's ER-361 with a primary supply line, and Kingsbury Volunteer Hose Companies ER-382 having an additional line set up in the case it was ss needed. With lines stretched, fire crews started to make further aggressive attacks from the outside of the structure. Command then alerted communications to dispatch National Grid for a wire down from the fire.

After an extensive attack, crews notified command that the main bulk of the fire on the A and C sides was primarily knocked down, and that the only fire was on the 2nd floor of the structure, however, this then led to the B side of the structure with a chimney to collapse, with the fire from the 2nd floor now firing out of the roof. This led to an all hands deployed on the B side of the structure. After some time, command then alerted communications that the bulk of the fire was knocked down, to stop the clock and that the fire was under control. Fire crews started to overhaul into the early hours of Wednesday.

No injuries were reported and the fire is under investigation at this time.