Photos: Occupant Forced to Jump at Fatal NY Dwelling Fire

Editors note: Fire department officials have since confirmed that two women have died and two others were injured.

Justin Bosco ran out the front door of his home on Olive Street because the house next door was on fire.

Two men and a woman got out of the house as flames shot out of the home, he said. They said three more people were still inside.

That’s when he saw her: A woman hanging out of the second floor pleading for help.

Bosco, who was shirtless and shoeless, said he found a ladder but it was too short to reach the woman.

The woman then fell out the window, he said.

Bosco said she was cut, her legs looked burned and she didn’t look like she was in good shape. Ambulance crews arrived to start treating her, he said.

One person died in the fire, Syracuse police said. It is not known yet if it was the woman who died or if others were injured.

It was a “chaotic” scene, Syracuse Fire Chief Michael Monds said outside the house.

Flames were shooting from the doors and windows. Residents who got out were screaming others were trapped inside. The smoke could be seen for miles.

About nine to 10 people were believed to be living in the home at 119 Olive St., Monds said. The home was a 2-family, 2 1/2 house, according to county records.

Firefighters rescued several people and others managed to make it out on their own, he said.

Firefighters got the call for the house fire at 8:26 a.m., according to Onondaga County 911 Center dispatches. Police and ambulance crews were dispatched minutes later.

The 911 call was initially unclear on what was going on so the fire department did not send the usual response for a structure fire, Monds said.

Once the first firefighters arrived and found flames, the call was updated. The road was quickly flooded with fire trucks and ambulances.

Firefighters started forcing their way in to rescue the people trapped inside, he said. The fire burned a hole into one of the hoses, he said. Electrical wires outside the house fell, he said.

The firefighters had to retreat out of the building to fight the fire, he said.

The fire spread to the house next door at 119 1/ 2 Olive St.

That’s where Bosco lives. When he saw the fire spread to his home, he said he ran back and told his mom to get out.

Both homes were badly damaged, Monds said.

Bosco, 27, said his family won’t be able to stay there. He said you can see the neighbor’s house through their home’s burned-out wall.

The fire was so hot it melted the rear bumper of his mother’s car, he said. She moved the car into a neighbor’s driveway to save the car.

Roman Zoldak, who lives diagonally across from 119 Olive St., said he saw the flames coming from the house.

When he got outside he found a man on the ground yelling about his little sister being trapped in the house, he said. A woman was standing in the road screaming. The two seemed uninjured, he said.

Zoldak stood in the street with his sister, watching firefighters spray the two homes. He captured the fire in photos he took.

Firefighters were still on the scene Monday afternoon. Trucks still lined the street at 2 p.m.

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A fundraiser has been organized for the Bosco family.

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Staff writer Rylee Kirk covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, photo, question or comment? Reach her at 315-396-5961, on Twitter @kirk_rylee, or [email protected].

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