Second Alarm Apartment Building Fire In Rensselaer, NY

On September 1, 2026, at 4:26 PM, the City of Rensselaer’s Fire Department was dispatched to a reported structure fire at Six Broadway. The caller reported smoke pushing from the roof of the building. Ladder one, engine two, Rensselaer Car one and two and Mohawk Ambulance Service called in route to the scene. As they were doing so police officers from the City of Rensselaer arrived on scene with smoke showing from the structure and notified the dispatcher.

The dispatcher notified the incoming units of the Police Department report. Engine two arrived on scene as the police department was attempting to clear the building as they had a working structure fire on the first floor. Command transmitted the signal thirty. Firefighters established a supply line to the nearby hydrant and deployed an inch and three-quarter hand line to the front door. Firefighters notified command that they needed a firefighter to check the basement as they had a heavy smoke condition on the first floor and pushing from the second and third floor. Command transmitted the second alarm bringing the Defreestville Fire Department, Clinton Heights Fire Department, and East Greenbush Fire Department to the scene and the Wynantskill Fire Department to the North Station to cover the City of Rensselaer while firefighters worked on scene.

Firefighters inside the structure continue to conduct a primary search of the building to make sure everybody was out. Additional firefighters began to pull apart the wall to get to the fire that had extended to the wall on the first floor. As firefighters were doing so the smoke condition on the second floor from the windows continue to remain the same. As firefighters were working inside additional resources from mutual aide companies quickly began to arrive on scene. Firefighters made their way to the front door of the structure and made entry and assisted the firefighters inside of the building. Firefighters made their way to the second floor and assisted with hydraulic ventilation to remove the smoke from the second floor to allow for firefighters to check for further extension. Firefighters inside of the structure continued to check the third floor for any type of extension and vented the windows of the structure.

Fire Investigator’s arrived on scene and began to conduct their investigation into the fire as this is the second fire at this location this year. Firefighters found extension on the second floor and utilized the hand line and knocked down the extension inside of the walls. Firefighters brought a fan to the third floor to ventilate the building further. No extension was found on the third floor, but there was a heavy smoke condition remaining while firefighters worked below. Within 30 minutes firefighters had the incident completely under control.

Fire Investigator’s continued to work on scene to determine the cause of the fire. No injuries were reported. The home sustained damage from the fire again. Code enforcement was contacted and brought to the scene. The occupants of the structure were dislocated, and the Red Cross was contacted for them. Firefighters went back into service before 6 PM.