Syracuse, N.Y. — Six fires in three days damaged houses and apartments this weekend in Syracuse.
Four of the fires, including two on Glenwood Avenue, happened in vacant homes no more than half a mile apart near Strathmore and the South Side.
The fires sent at least three people, including a firefighter, to hospitals.
One of the fires — a blaze at Trinity Park West apartments — left the building badly damaged. Two days after the fire, the 41-unit complex was encircled by yellow caution tape and covered in boarded-up windows.
Firefighters are working to determine what caused the fires. The department did not say if the fires are related or considered suspicious. Firefighters did not respond to a request for comment.
The fires
Here’s a map of showing the location of each fire followed by a description of the fire and photos.
The apartment building at 615 W. Onondaga St. sits boarded up and encircled by yellow police tape on Monday, May 17, 2021 — two days after a fire ripped through the structure, damaging the building and sending at least to people to the hospital. The fire was the first of six major fires reported in three days across the city. Four of the fires happened at vacant homes, all within half a mile.Samantha House | shouse@syracuse.com
Syracuse firefighters rushed to Trinity Park West, an apartment building at 615 W. Onondaga St., at 1:33 a.m. Saturday after a caller reported the building was on fire. When firefighters arrived, the first floor was engulfed in flames.
Trapped tenants hung out of windows, fire officials said. Using ladders, firefighters rescued at least five people from the building.
Two people were transported to a hospital. Others were evaluated by firefighters and American Medical Response crews at the scene.
Over 50 firefighters responded to the blaze.
Second fire: 145 Lakeview Ave.
Firefighters had just returned from the blaze on West Onondaga Street when crews were called to another fire.
The fire at 145 Lakeview Ave., a two-family home, was reported to 911 around 6:30 a.m. Firefighters rushed to the burning house and found thick smoke billowing from the second story.
The people inside safely escaped from the home, which had working smoke detectors, the department said. No injuries were reported.
Firefighters quickly put out the fire, containing most of the damage to part of the second-story apartment, the department said.
On Monday, the damage to the home was not visible from the street.
A fire was discovered at 217 May Ave., a vacant Syracuse home, just before 4 a.m. on Sunday, May 16, 2021. The fire was one of six major fires reported in three days across the city. Four of the blazes happened at vacant homes, all within half a mile.Samantha House | shouse@syracuse.com
Firefighters responded to 217 May Ave., a vacant home, at 3:58 a.m. Sunday after a caller reported the house was on fire. When firefighters arrived, the second floor was engulfed in flames.
Crews rushed into the burning home to fight the fire. But the flames grew and quickly became too intense for firefighters to remain inside, the department said.
Firefighters left the home and battled the fire from outside, using equipment capable of spraying over 1,000 gallons of water a minute to douse the flames, the department said. Once the fire was dampened, firefighters went back into the home to finish stamping out the blaze.
No injuries were reported.
Syracuse firefighters return to 1304 South Ave., a vacant home, on Monday, May 17, 2021, hours after a fire damaged the house. The fire was one of six major fires reported in three days across the city. Four of the fires happened at vacant homes, all within half a mile.Samantha House | shouse@syracuse.com
The fire at 1304 South Ave., another vacant home, was reported at 12:47 a.m. Monday.
When firefighters arrived, heavy flames were coming from the 2 1/2-story house. It marked the second time the home caught fire within five months.
It took over 30 minutes to put out the fire. One firefighter was treated at Upstate University Hospital for minor burns, the department said.
Firefighters returned to the scene Monday morning, parking outside the damaged home.
A blaze that started around 2:23 a.m on Monday, May 17, 2021, left 146 Glenwood Ave., a vacant Syracuse home, charred and damaged. The fire was one of six major fires reported in three days across the city. Four of the fires happened at vacant homes, all within half a mile.Samantha House | shouse@syracuse.com
Fifth fire: 146 Glenwood Ave.
A passerby called 911 at 2:23 a.m. Monday and reported 146 Glenwood Ave., a vacant home, was on fire. The home is half a mile away from the South Avenue house that caught fire less than two hours earlier.
When firefighters arrived on Glenwood Avenue, the entire front of the residence was engulfed in flames, the department said. Some of the firefighters who responded to the fire had also worked to put out the blaze on South Avenue less than two hours earlier.
Hours after the fire, the smell of smoke lingered in the air outside of the charred home.
A fire was discovered at the above home, 131 Glenwood Ave., around 2:45 a.m. Monday, May 12, 2021, while Syracuse firefighters were battling a fire at a home across the street. The fire was one of six major fires reported in three days across the city. Four of the fires happened at vacant homes, all within half a mile.Samantha House | shouse@syracuse.com
Sixth fire: 131 Glenwood Ave.
Crews were working to put out the fire at 146 Glenwood Ave. when they spotted flames coming from 131 Glenwood Ave. — a home across the street, the department said. It took firefighters 15 minutes to put out the second.
A “for sale” sign outside of 131 Glenwood Ave. marked the home as sold.
Staff writer Samantha House covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? Reach her at shouse@syracuse.com.