Over a Dozen Rescued from NY Building Fire

Syracuse, N.Y. – At least 10 people had to be rescued through the windows of their third-floor homes when a fire broke out early Sunday morning in an apartment complex on the city’s North Side, fire officials said.

Firefighters arriving on scene to 1312 Butternut Street at about 1:20 a.m. found heavy fire and dense, black smoke throughout one building in the 48-apartment complex, which includes several 3.5-story buildings, according to Michael Monds, chief of the Syracuse Fire Department.

Firefighters used portable ladders on the outside of the building to rescue the people who were hanging out of their windows, and another five people were found inside, Monds said. One of those five people, an adult, was unconscious and had to be carried from the building by firefighters.

Those rescued ranged in age from infancy to middle age, Monds said. All were evaluated and treated at the scene of the fire, and several people were then transported to local hospitals for further treatment.

Monds did not know the conditions of any of the people who were sent to the hospital.

A first-floor apartment and the unit above sustained fire damage, and there was smoke damage throughout the building, Monds said.

By late Sunday morning, charred belongings were strewn across a grassy area near the building, and a few children from another building peeked through first-floor windows, trying to see the damage inside.

Ultimately, more than 50 firefighters responded to the scene to help fight the severe fire and to rescue trapped residents, he said.

The fire department is still working to determine the origin and cause of the fire, he said.

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