GREEN ISLAND, NY – On July 4, 2025, the Green Island FD, Cohoes FD, Watervliet FD, and the Watervliet Arsenal FD responded to 500 River Edge Apartments following multiple calls reporting a garage fire. The caller stated that smoke was coming from the garage. The first arriving engine on scene found fire pushing from the garage and transmitted a Signal 30. The officer on the rig conducted a full walk-around of the garage and observed smoke pushing from the eaves.

Firefighters deployed a 1¾-inch hand line to the front door of the garage, made entry, and discovered a working dumpster fire inside the garage that had extended into the roof. The next arriving truck company went to work cutting the garage doors off to gain entry, as the fire had spread into the roof area. An additional hand line was deployed, and command placed a general recall for staffing for Green Island, Cohoes, and the City of Watervliet.

Firefighters knocked down the heavy fire condition in the first garage bay and began opening additional garages due to a heavy smoke condition throughout the structure. They opened each garage section one by one, pulled down ceilings, and used a hand line to extinguish additional fire that had spread to the roof.

Firefighters worked on scene for an extended period, conducting extensive overhaul. The fire chief arrived and began an investigation into the cause of the fire. No injuries were reported, but the building suffered severe damage. The fire was determined to have been caused by fireworks improperly disposed of in the dumpster.