One firefighter injured in Park Ave. apartment fire
October 01, 2016 10:08 AM
The Rochester Fire Department says that one firefighter was injured in a second alarm fire that broke out at a Park Avenue apartment early Saturday morning.
The Fire Department says they were sent to 85 Park Avenue shortly after 1:00 a.m. When they got there, they say that the fire was in a third floor apartment. Fire crews fought the flames and helped people inside the structure get out safely.
They say one firefighter suffered injuries that were not life threatening and was taken to the hospital. At the moment, they say that there are no reported civilian injured as a result of the fire – the cause of which was determined to be cooking on the stove left unattended.
The Rochester Fire Department says that the smoke alarm inside the apartment was not functional because the battery had been taken out. The Fire Department replaced the battery, and want to remind people to have a working smoke alarm with a battery that is functional. They also say that smoke alarms should fall within the ten-year recommended date of use. This can be found on the back of the alarm.
The Fire Department says that RTS and Red Cross helped provide food and temporary shelter while the scene was alleviated and assessed, and that the Red Cross is going to provide additional help to the people occupying six apartments that were negatively affected by the blaze.
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Rochester N.Y. - A firefighter was injured and a number of tenants were evacuated early Saturday morning after an apartment fire on Park Avenue.
Crews responded to the fire on the third floor of the apartment and determined that the fire was caused by unattended cooking on a stove.
Casey Gomes lives on the first floor, and tells us the damage was contained to the middle of the building.
"There was melted laundry boxes; a lot of the floor and ceiling had to be gutted because it had spread. Everything was black and burnt."
Because of the size of the structure and potential complexity of the fire, it was upgraded to a second alarm. But Gomes said it wasn't the sound of alarms going off that alerted him to the fire.
"About 1:30 I heard a lot of people on the fire escape," he said. "I decided to get curious and open the door and I could smell some smoke."
According to Gomes, each apartment has at least one smoke detector. He is wondering why others in the building didn't go off.
"The way the layout of the building is, there are smoke alarms down each hallway but none of those had went off. Most of us didn't know really what was going on really until the damage had been done."
The owner of the building told 13WHAM he is not aware of any issues with smoke detectors. He also said while they try to check on them, it is the responsibility of the tenant to make sure they are working.
The Rochester Fire Department says the occupant of the apartment also did not have a working smoke alarm because the battery had been removed from the detector.
Firefighters want to remind those in the community that it's essential to be aware of the importance of a working smoke detector. It should have a functional battery, one that is within the ten year recommended user date, which is located on the back of the detector.
According to New York State's Attorney General, landlords are required to put in working smoke detectors, but it is up to the tenants to make sure they function properly.
No civilians were hurt during the fire, and the injured firefighter was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The Red Cross and RTS assisted occupants with temporary shelter and food while the scene was being assessed.