Niagara Gazette
May 09, 2008 06:24 pm
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Niagara FallsFire Department
Calls for service
For the period of May 2 to 8, the Niagara Falls Fire Department responded to 100 calls.
• FIRE: Shortly before 10 p.m. Monday fire units were dispatched for a report of smoke coming from a building in the area of 19th Street and Whitney Avenue. First arriving units reported smoke coming from the two-story commercial building which appeared to be vacant. Members of the Engine Company deployed hoselines while the Truck Company began to gain access into the building. Once inside, firefighters began a search and discovered a small fire involving mattresses had been set in the building. It was reported that neighborhood children and other transients have been seen in the building. A thorough search of the building turned up no occupants and total damage was minimal. This was the first of a series of arson fires that plagued city firefighters this past week.
• FIRE: Less then six hours after the fire at 19th and Whitney, a man delivering newspapers came across a structure fire at 1356 Whitney Ave. The man drove to the 10th Street fire hall and notified firefighters of the fire. Not knowing the exact address, the man led firefighters to the location. Flames were shooting out of multiple openings in the building and visible fire was seen on all floors. Firefighters began to ladder the building and simultaneously deployed hoselines to combat the blaze. On entering the front door, firefighters discovered that the stairway leading to the upper floors was entirely burned away and unusable. Efforts shifted to protecting the nearby exposures as the original fire building was too unsafe to enter. Once firefighters were able to establish a good water supply, they were able to apply sufficient water to control the fire. This obvious deliberately set fire did enough damage to the structure that it was declared unsafe and ordered demolished by the Building and Inspections Department.
• FIRE: A police officer on routine patrol discovered flames shooting from a two-story duplex at 1:47 p.m. Thursday. Firefighters who were attending a training session at fire headquarters on Walnut Avenue were quick to arrive to the well-involved fire in the 500 block of 24th street and rapidly set about gaining entry into the building and deploying hoselines. The building, which had been vacant for the past few years, had significant fire involvement on the second floor and fire was rapidly extending into the attic. An aggressive interior fire attack allowed firefighters to quickly gained control and the dark smoke that had filled the sky began to dissipate. The building showed signs of significant vandalism and was reported to be used as a gathering spot for illegal activity. This fire is classified as suspicious and is under investigation.
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