Sidewinder Photography shared some photos of firefighters working at a recent working basement fire that extended throughout a home in Guilderland, New York.
At 5:05 a.m. on Saturday, September 21, 2019, the Guilderland emergency services dispatcher toned out the Guilderland Fire Department, Guilderland Police Department, and Guilderland emergency medical services for a reported house fire on Vosburgh Road. The caller reported to the dispatcher that the kitchen was on fire and had smoke and fire in the kitchen coming from the basement.
The first-arriving unit on scene had a working structure fire and stated that everyone was out of the house. Mutual aid from Fort Hunter, Altamont, Guilderland Center, Rotterdam Fire District No. 2, North Bethlehem, and Mckownville Fire Department responded to the scene.
Truck 29 arrived on scene and firefighters pulled a handline to the front door. The commanding chief completed a 360 on scene of the building and learned they had a working basement fire with extension into the rear portion of the building. Firefighters used a rotary saw to cut the door that led to the basement. As firefighters open that door, they were met with extremely high temperatures and a large amount of smoke pushing from the basement. Firefighters made their way through the front door of the residence, encountering heavy smoke and fire pushing up from the basement below. As firefighters made a push down the basement stairs, they experience blackout conditions and extremely high temperatures. Firefighters in the basement were able to reach the fire and make a quick hit on it but as additional personnel entered on the first floor, the heavy fire conditions in the basement had compromised the beams above. This caused the floor to sag down onto firefighters working in the basement.
Concerned about the safety of the firefighters working in the basement, command pulled all firefighters from the building for their safety. As command did an accountability check, the fire had picked up in the strength and had traveled up the walls of the building to the second floor and into the roof area. The lightweight balloon-frame construction allowed for the easy travel of the fire to the attic area.
As additional units arrived on scene, firefighters were able to establish a water supply to feed the multiple engines on scene and the handlines that were currently in operation. As heavy smoke pushed from the rear of the building and started to darken down from the second floor front windows, Rotterdam District No. 2 rapid intervention team (RIT) arrived on scene and set up RIT command in the front of the building. Firefighters from the Fort Hunter Fire Department deployed a 2 1/2-inch hand line to the rear of the building. As firefighters were venting the building in the rear of the structure, heavy black smoke was pushing from the eaves of the rear portion of the house; the ventilation team vented the back window and the fire flashed over on the second floor.
Firefighters used a handline to knock down the heavy fire condition that had occurred from venting the windows. On account of the compromised floor, firefighters were forced to do what they could from the exterior of the home.
Firefighters on Truck 29 went to the roof and vented the building as heavy smoke pushed from the eaves of the structure. Crews knocked down all of the heavy fire in the attic area.
No firefighters were injured on scene. The house suffered substantial smoke, fire and water damage.
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