Syracuse, N.Y. – At approximately 8:26 A.M. on Monday, May 9th, the Syracuse Fire Department responded to 119 Olive Street for a structure fire with people still trapped inside. The first fire companies were on scene in three minutes and reported heavy smoke and fire conditions showing from 119 Olive Street on all floors of the 2-family, 2 ½ story wood frame structure. The heavy volume of fire rapidly extended to a second structure addressed next door at 119 ½ Olive Street.  Crews reported electrical power service lines attached to 119 Olive St. burned away from the home and fell at the front entrance which posed a significant hazard for occupants exiting the structure and for fire crews entering the structure.

As fire crews entered 119 Olive St. to make a push to search for the victims and extinguish the fire, the initial attack hose line was made inoperable due to a hole burning through the outer jacket lining of the hose. The heavy volume of fire caused large section of the first floor towards the front of 119 Olive Street to collapse into the basement in the area near where the first and second fire victims were located.  2 other first floor collapses occurred in separate areas of the structure along with floor joists between the 1st floor ceiling and second floor cracking due to the heat exposure and direct flame contact. Due to the heavy volume of fire and the rapid deterioration to the integrity of the structure, firefighters were ordered out of the building to fight the fire.

The first-floor apartment at 119 Olive Street was home to 7 people. 6 people were home at the time of the fire: 2 adult females perished inside the fire, 2 adults refused medical treatment at the scene and 2 others were transported to the hospital. The conditions of the transported are unknown at this time. 4 of the residents self-evacuated prior to the fire department’s arrival and 2 were removed by fire department personnel during the firefight. The second-floor apartment was unoccupied at the time of the fire but was home to three people. 119 ½ Olive Street was a single-family home, occupied by 2 adults at the time of the fire. Both residents self-evacuated the structure prior to the fire department’s arrival. A total of 61 firefighters responded to the scene to battle the fires in both structures which are uninhabitable from smoke, fire and water damage. The American Red Cross was on scene to assist all of the displaced residents. Syracuse Fire Department Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire. Syracuse Police, AMR and National Grid were also on scene.