WATERFORD, NY - On November 22, 2024, at 6:28 P.M., the Northside Fire Department along with the Waterford Rescue Squad was dispatched to 110 First Street for multiple calls reporting a structure fire with entrapment. The heavy fire and smoke condition could be seen from multiple blocks away.

Upon receiving information that there were multiple reports of somebody trapped inside the building, and that somebody was yelling for help, the Northside fire chief immediately transmitted the second-alarm. As he turned down the street, the chief had heavy fire showing from a church that had been converted into a house. He made his way to the front of the house and was able to confirm that there was no entrapment, and that everybody was out of the structure.

As the second-alarm was being toned, the well-involved steeple on the home collapsed through the roof of the structure, sending a large fireball into the sky. Waterford FD, Halfmoon-Waterford FD, Boght Community Fire Co., and Mechanicville FD were brought to the scene. The Maplewood FD was placed on standby at the Northside FD. Command requested the first arriving engine to lay in from the hydrant and utilize a deck gun as the building was well-involved. Firefighters deployed multiple hand lines to the front of the structure and connected to the nearby fire hydrant, establishing a water supply. Command requested the first arriving truck company to take First Street and set up in the roadway and get their ladder in the air. Command got on the radio and requested the dispatcher to stop all railway traffic, as they had multiple large diameter hose being deployed across the tracks.

Heavy fire was pushing from the front of the building and all of the windows and roof. Additional firefighters arriving on scene took up a tactical position on top of the hill and laid in from another water main, establishing another water supply. Firefighters began to conduct defensive operations as the roof of the building had been severely compromised. As firefighters were utilizing the master streams, slate roof shingles began to fly off the roof, posing a major risk for firefighters operating nearby of becoming injured. Command had firefighters operating near the building back up while the master stream operations were ongoing. With heavy fire still in the roof of the building, the truck company on the 'Bravo' side of the structure utilized saws to cut open the windows on the side of the building to get their master streams up into the roof rafters area. As the ladder truck repositioned, firefighters on the 'Alpha' side of the structure made their way up to the front door of the building and began utilizing a hand line to knock down a large amount of the visible fire in the front of the structure. Firefighters on the other end of the building utilized a hand line and began to knock down the visible fire from the windows.

Firefighters on the 'Charlie' side of the structure utilized a chainsaw to cut down a tree and pulled it out of the way to gain access to two windows where they still had fire in the roof area of the building. Firefighters stopped flowing water for a short period of time to allow command to get a full view of the scene, and to get an updated progress report and create a plan to move forward with operations. Command had an additional truck company from the city of Mechanicville come to the scene and set up next to the Waterford fire department's truck company and deploy their aerial device. Firefighters on the hill pulled back as both aerial devices opened up their master streams and continued to knock down any of the remaining fire.

Fire investigators arrived on scene and began to conduct their investigation into what caused the fire, while firefighters began to pick up all of the additional hand lines. Command contacted the town for an excavator to come to the scene, as the structure was not safe to remain standing.

Fire Investigators worked through the evening to determine that the fire was accidental. No injuries were reported. Firefighters went back into service in the early morning hours.