On May 24, 2026, at 5:26 PM, The Menands Fire Department along with mutual aid from the Shaker Road Fire Department, Latham Fire Department, Watervliet Arsenal Fire Department, Boght Community Fire Company, West Albany Fire Department and Colonie Emergency Medical Services was dispatched to 250 Broadway the Menands Fire Department for multiple calls for a reported structure fire. Multiple callers reported a fire truck on fire inside of the engine bay. The chief of the department car 36 notified the dispatcher immediately to transmit the signal thirty for a working structure fire as he had a heavy column of black smoke visible in the distance. Police units arrived on scene and had a well involved fire truck inside of the bay and multiple members of the department began to arrive on scene and attempted to gain entry to the structure to get access to the turnout gear and begin to get the fire apparatus out of the fire station.

Firefighter’s made entry to the structure and was able to get one of the engine bays open and heavy black smoke began to push from all of the bays and from the windows of the structure. Firefighters hopped inside of the rescue and drove it out of the station and quickly hopped to the pump panel and began to deploy a hand line and knock down the fire in squad six. The chief came on the air and requested additional engines from responding units to the scene. Firefighters deployed additional hand lines off of the rig that was severely damaged and began to flow water onto the burning rig. Firefighters attempted to get the other door open where their truck company was, but the door mechanism had melted. Firefighters attempted to cut the door with a saw but could not get the door up so command told one of the assistant chiefs to drive it through the front of the engine bays to attempt to save it.

Firefighters conducted an aggressive interior attack on the well involved engine fire and began to knock down a significant portion of the fire. Truck nine arrived on scene and firefighters set up in front of the structure and went to the roof of the building to check for extension as they had heavy fire that had rolled up the front of the building. Firefighters established a water supply in front of the fire station. Firefighters from mutual aid companies began to take out members turnout gear out of the station and firefighters on scene from the Menands Fire Department quickly began to put their turnout gear on and began to attempt to save their station. Firefighters on the second floor had a heavy smoke condition and began to vent the windows on the structure. Firefighters began to search the second floor to make sure that they didn’t have any extension into the second-floor hall area. Firefighters began to deploy multiple vent fans into the structure to get the heavy amount of smoke out of the building.

Members of the police department began to check their side of the building as they had a smoke condition inside of their structure also as the building is a large village municipal style building. Firefighters inside of the structure was able to remove a large portion of the fire department turnout gear and members made their way inside to attempt to get other items out of the structure to save. The main goal at this point was to save as much equipment as possible. Command notified the dispatcher that the heavy fire condition was knocked down and the fire was under control and they only had a significant smoke condition remaining inside of the structure. Command set up a command post in front of the fire station.

Firefighters on scene continued to conduct extensive overhaul inside of the structure as the mayor and the fire chief continued to assess the situation as the engine bay sustained significant damage along with the ceiling above the main apparatus bay. Town of Colonie car one arrived on scene and began to work with command to formulate a plan as the Menands Fire Department has had all of their apparatus destroyed or severely damaged from the fire along with their turnout gear and equipment. Firefighters on the exterior portion of the structure began to gather and inventory their equipment. The Town of Colonie car 1 contacted the neighboring Schuyler Heights Fire district who just had their Fire Company cease operations and ask to use their apparatus. The commissioners of the district offered them their apparatus, and fire station for them to operate out of as they no longer had a Fire Company or firefighters operating inside of the building.

Firefighters continued to remove items from the building for a large portion of the evening and neighboring departments offered up apparatus and cover assignments while the Fire Department was out of service. In the early morning hours of May 25, 2026, on the Paul Vandenberg show the Mayor of the Village of Menands stated that it appears an iPad had caught fire in the apparatus as the cause of the fire. Only one injury was sustained during the fire, but it was minor and did not require any further medical attention. Structural engineers are working to determine if the fire station and rest of the building is structural safe from the fire. The estimated loss in equipment, apparatus, and the damage to the station is going to be above five million dollars. Town of Colonie fire investigators are still making final determinations on the cause of the fire. Anyone looking to make donations to the Menands Fire Department can send them to the Menands Fire Company, 280 Broadway, Menands, NY 12204