On September 21, 2025, at 4:16 AM, the city of Troy‘s Fire Department was dispatched to 181 6th Avenue for a reported basement fire. Engine four, engine one, engine two, truck one, truck two, medic four, the rescue squad, and the battalion chief responded to the scene. Car three and engine four arrived on scene with smoke showing from a two-story wood frame multi occupancy structure and immediately declared the signal thirty for a working structure fire. Firefighters immediately deployed an inch and three-quarter hand line to the front door, as additional units arrived on scene and immediately began to set up at the hydrant to supply engine four with a water supply.

Conditions on the second floor rapidly began to change as heavy black turbulence smoke began to push from the second floor as the truck companies were beginning to set up. Firefighters made a push inside the first floor where they had a significant fire condition in the walls. Command immediately noticing the significant changes and exposure issues transmitted the second alarm bringing the Watervliet Arsenal Fire Department, City of Watervliet Fire Department, Engine six, and the Green Island Fire Department to the scene. Firefighters made their way down into the basement but could not locate the fire and firefighters made their way into the first floor and continued up the stairs to the second floor. A firefighter on the first-floor notified command that the fire was in the floor between the first and second floor and traveling the walls.

As firefighters were getting additional hand lines in place and attempting to make the stairwell they had a significant heavy smoke condition pushing down on them with heavy heat and command ordered everyone to back out of the structure and as he was doing so the second floor of the structure lit off with heavy fire pushing from the windows of the structure and roof line. Command requested the evacuation tones to be transmitted, and firefighters began to blow the horns of the apparatus to get the firefighters attention so they would exit the structure. Firefighters exited the building and as soon as they were clear far enough back multiple firefighters quickly opened their hand line and the pump operator on engine four opened up his deck gun quickly knocking down the heavy fire condition on the second floor. Firefighters on the roof of the building immediately began to vent the structure to allow the superheated trapped gases to escape. Firefighters utilized defensive tactics for a few minutes before re-entering the structure to make an aggressive push to the seat of the fire that was still remaining.

Firefighters deployed multiple hand lines into the second floor as firefighters on the first floor conducted a primary search, they began to locate multiple cats and rescue them from the structure. Firefighters on the second floor continued to conduct interior operations for an extended period of time as additional firefighters began to pull ceilings and open up walls to find the hidden fire. Firefighters on the roof notified command that they had a significant fire condition traveling the attic line and deployed a inch and three-quarter hand line from the bucket of the truck company and began to knock down the fire condition from the vent hole in the front of the structure. Firefighters from the Watervliet Arsenal Fire Department made their way to the other side of the structure via their truck company and began to conduct vertical ventilation on the backside of the structure. Firefighters from the Green Island Fire Department deployed another hand line to the second floor of the structure and began to hit hotspots as crews opened up the front porch area and the inside of the second floor.

Firefighters continued to work for an extended period of time before locating one additional cat inside of the structure and brought it outside to the owner. National grid disconnected the gas and power from the structure and the city of Troy‘s Water Department was on scene to monitor the scene for any type of disruptions in the water supply. Firefighters continued to work until the early hours of the morning hitting hotspots and conducting extensive overhaul. Fire investigators arrived on scene and began to conduct their investigation into what caused the fire. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire has not been released publicly.