Watervliet, NY - On October 3rd at 12:41 P.M., the City of Watervliet’s Fire Department along with the Watervliet Arsenal, Green Island Fire Department and the City of Troy’s Fire Department was dispatched to 1511 8th Street for multiple calls reporting a structure fire.

A heavy black column of smoke was showing from the distance as firefighters turned down onto Eighth Street, along with heavy fire blowing out of the three front windows of the second-story portion of a house. The first arriving engine immediately declared the Signal 30 for a working structure fire. Firefighters made sure everyone was out of the house and began to deploy a single hand line to the second floor.

As crews made their way up the staircase to the second floor they were met with heavy fire rolling over the top of their heads and heavy black smoke pushing down the stairwell. Firefighters immediately called for the hand line to be charged. Firefighters in the stairwell began to make a push into the heavily involved second floor apartment and as they began to knock down the heavy fire load, firefighters from the Watervliet Arsenal began to set up their truck company and start to vent through windows on the side of the house. As additional firefighters arrived on scene another hand line was brought up to the second floor to assist with the initial crews inside of the building.

Firefighters from the truck company made their way to the roof and started to vent the back side, as they still had fire traveling the area of the cockloft. Firefighters on the second floor were able to successfully knock down all of the heavy fire within 15 minutes of arrival.

Crews conducted a secondary search of the house and confirmed that all of the residents and pets made it out safely. Firefighters remained on scene for over an hour conducting heavy overhaul of the badly damaged home. Due to the quick work of the firefighters on scene, damage to the rest of the home was held to a minimum. The Red Cross was brought in to assist the residents of the home.

The fire is currently under investigation. No firefighters were injured on scene.