On December 4, 2025, at 11:48 AM multiple calls poured into the city of Albany’s emergency communication center for a well involved structure fire at 239 Western Avenue with multiple reports of entrapment inside of the building. Engine ten, engine seven, engine two, engine eleven, truck three, truck two, Mohawk Ambulance Service, rescue one, the battalion chief, and the rescue squad responded to the scene. As units were responding to the scene a heavy plume of black smoke was visible throughout the city from the fire location. Engine ten immediately called the dispatcher and notified them that they had a signal thirty to dedicate the frequency before even arriving on scene. Engine eleven arrived on scene and immediately transmitted the second alarm as he had heavy fire pushing from the front of the structure and a second building on fire with confirmed entrapment of multiple individuals inside of the structure.

Firefighters immediately deployed an inch and three-quarter hand line and began to knock down the front of the structure that was heavily involved. Heavy fire still consuming the front of the structure along with the inside portion, as firefighters were knocking down the fire a person on the second floor jumped from the building to the ground to escape the heavy fire condition inside of the home. On the second alarm assignment, engine one, engine nine, and truck four was requested to the scene. Engine eleven’s officer notified the dispatcher that they had confirmed the entrapment and had people trapped on the second floor which had heavy fire throughout. Firefighters immediately began to toss ladders to the bravo side of the structure as firefighters made an aggressive push inside of the structure. Firefighters on the second floor made their way to the victim and dragged the victim out of the home which was still heavily involved. Medics from Mohawk Ambulance immediately grabbed the victim and placed the individual on a stretcher and race to an ambulance down the street. Command requested additional ambulances to the scene as they still had more victims inside of the home.

Firefighters continue to make an aggressive push inside of the structure and make an aggressive knockdown as additional firefighters continued to conduct a search of the building as command was able to get from the first fire victim that there are three people still trapped inside of the structure. As firefighters were working inside of the primary fire building, a dog was rescued from the secondary building and police immediately began to assist the dog in reviving the dog and giving the dog oxygen. Command requested a third advance life support ambulance along with rescue nine to the scene as they still had unaccounted for victims. Firefighters in the exposure building had heavy fire in the cockloft, and firefighters requested a hand line to the second floor as they began to pull the ceilings as the fire from the primary fire building had spread to the secondary structure. Firefighters from the truck company made their way to the roof of the secondary building and began to conduct horizontal ventilation.

Firefighters on the exterior portion of the structure began to conduct horizontal ventilation to assist firefighters inside of the primary fire building and the secondary fire building. As firefighters continued to work inside the structure heavy brown smoke pushed from the roof of the primary fire building and turbulence smoke began to push from the eaves of the secondary building. Firefighters notified command that they were coming out with a second victim and they needed assistance. Multiple firefighters quickly pushed through the front door of the main fire building and met the crew upstairs and began to bring the victim down the stairs as emt’s immediately brought a stretcher to the front of the building and loaded the victim onto the stretcher and rushed to the ambulance as firefighters and EMTs were doing CPR on the victim. Firefighters on the second floor of the secondary exposure building requested an additional hand line as they still had heavy fire in the attic area. A third victim was removed from the structure and transported to Albany Medical Center.

The victim that jumped from the window of the second floor of the primary fire building was transported to Albany Medical Center. The dispatcher notified Albany Medical Center that they had multiple fire victims coming in and a full trauma arrest of a victim pulled from the fire building coming in with CPR in progress. Command had a total of four fire victims from the building. As firefighters continued to work a significant portion of the front porch and the alpha portion of the structure appeared to be unstable, and command requested all units to exit the main fire building and command conducted a accountability check on scene. Firefighters continued to work in the second building as they had fire still remaining in the attic area and they were chasing the fire in the walls. Firefighters on the exterior portion of the structure utilize a hand line and continue to hit hotspots on the exterior portion of the structure and in the front window area of the second floor.

Multiple firefighters exchange their air bottles on scene and made their way back up to the front lines and made their way back inside of the structure and continued to conduct aggressive interior operations in an attempt to bring the incident under control. As firefighters continued to work inside both buildings, fire investigators began to conduct their investigation on scene. Additional resources from the city of Albany’s code enforcement division, engineering division, and community resources division arrived on scene and stood by while firefighters worked on scene offering any assistance as they can. Command requested the Red Cross to the scene as they had more than a dozen individuals that needed assistance.

As firefighters continued to work fire continued to flare up on the exterior portions of both structures in the attic areas and on the Delta side of the secondary building as Fire pushed from the side of the building. Heavy smoke continued to push from the attic area of the primary fire building and firefighters inside of the structure made their way to the second floor with attic ladders and an additional hand line to get into the attic area to knock down the remaining fire. Firefighters in both structures conducted a secondary search of the building which turned up negative. As firefighters continued to work on scene the City of Albany’s Fire Department was hammered with emergency medical calls with limited resources remaining in the city as significant portions of the resources were dedicated to the fire scene due to the significant demand on scene. No additional outside resources from mutual aid companies were brought into the city during the fire.

Firefighters continued to work on scene until the late afternoon hours. Fire Investigator’s remained on scene for multiple days conducting their investigation into the fire. A total of three victims were rescued by Albany firefighters from the building. The victim that jumped from the window was listed in critical condition but in stable condition. Two of the victims were transferred to Westchester Medical Burn Center for further treatment. Unfortunately, a few days after the fire the two other fire victims both females that were pulled from the building unfortunately did not survive despite the best efforts of the paramedics from the City of Albany Fire Department, the professional staff at Albany Medical Center and Westchester Burn Center along with members from Mohawk Ambulance Service. The cause of the fire has not been released to the public.

Incidents of this nature are extremely high stress and adrenaline charged, pushing firefighters to their absolute limits especially when individuals are trapped inside of a well involve structure fire. The collective efforts of all the firefighters on scene, who executed an aggressive interior attack alongside a determined primary search under heavy fire conditions, do not go unnoticed. Aggressive firefighting tactics remain critical in today’s fire service, and on December 4, 2025, the firefighters of the City of Albany Fire Department demonstrated their unwavering dedication to both their craft and the residence of the city of Albany. Operating at a peak performance, these firefighters carried out rescues despite the extreme and dangerous conditions they faced.

The residents of the city of Albany can be confident that their safety is in the best possible hands.