Multiple Departments Assisted at East Greenbush Structure Fire

East Greenbush, N.Y. — October 18 — The Best-Luther Fire Department was called to a structure fire on Stone Creek Drive after Rensselaer County Public Safety sent out Box 03-10 at 3:35 p.m. Callers reported smoke coming from the basement of a house that was still under construction.

Best-Luther Car 1 arrived and found smoke coming from a basement window. Engine 3-1 extended a 1¾-inch handline into the building. After breaking in, firefighters found heavy smoke and had to pull back because the floor was hot and unstable. Support was requested from East Greenbush and Clinton Heights.

Firefighters opened the garage door to let in fresh air and entered the basement through a D-side window. Using a thermal imaging camera, they located the fire and started applying water. Crews then entered from the B side and through a basement door, continuing their work inside the basement.

Fire investigators found that the fire started on the first floor and spread through the ductwork to the second floor. The Rensselaer County Fire Investigation Unit determined the cause of the fire was an unattended heating element placed in a bucket of water, which caused the bucket to burn through.

East Schodack helped with equipment retrieval. The responding agencies included West Sand Lake, Averill Park-Sand Lake, W.F.Bruen Rescue Squad, police, county coordinators, the water department, and code enforcement. After the incident, members cleaned their equipment, fueled their vehicles, and washed 600 feet of hose.