By Darian Stevenson
syracuse.com
BALDWINSVILLE, N.Y. — A huge fire that ripped through two buildings in a Baldwinsville apartment complex Friday started in the attic, away from smoke alarms and sprinklers, according to a fire official.
The flames in the attic area spread quickly due to the wide open space over the buildings, according to North West Fire District Chief Tony McIntyre. Most of the fire — about 95% — was in the space above the top floor and below the roof, he said.
McIntyre said the smoke alarms and the sprinklers inside the New Legacy Apartments complex were working, but they weren’t activated because the fire was in the attic. The fire sprinklers and the smoke alarms were below the attic, he said.
“If there’s no fire, they’re (the sprinklers) not going to be activated,” McIntyre said. “They’re all heat activated and there was no heat on the first, second and third parts of the living space.”
One sprinkler was activated due to heat, but McIntyre said others, located on the side of the building, where the fire did not spread, were not activated due to the lack of heat.
McIntyre said he believes the fire may have gone undetected in the attic for quite some time, but he cannot be certain. When they arrived on scene after the 911 call, heavy flames were coming from the roof, he said.
The fire, which was reported at around 9:45 p.m. Friday, ripped through two buildings in the New Legacy Apartments complex off Meigs Road. The roofs collapsed at one point.
Firefighters and police officers went into the buildings to rescue people, carrying some residents down several flights of stairs, firefighters said.
An 80-year-old man was taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation, McIntyre had said.
In all, 24 apartments were damaged or destroyed. So many were left homeless the American Red Cross set up a shelter at Onondaga Community College.
Firefighters from multiple departments battled the blaze for more than nine hours in freezing conditions. McIntyre said there were over 100 firefighters working on the scene.
McIntyre said firefighters were on scene within three minutes of receiving a 911 call. Fire crews immediately started to work to put out the fire, while others helped residents evacuate the building.
Fire crews were drawing so much water from a 10-inch water main that they had to use water tankers to transport more water to the fire, McIntyre said.
The freezing weather also made it difficult for firefighters, McIntyre said.
“Everything froze over,” McIntryre said. “The ground itself was covered with ice, firefighters were slipping, sliding and the 10-degree weather — it’s taxing on the firefighters, taxing on the fire equipment.”
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