N.Y. firefighters rescue trapped occupants at apartment fire

By Fernando Alba
syracuse.com

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Two people were taken down on ladders from third-floor apartments in Syracuse Thursday night as the building quickly filled with smoke, firefighters said.

The fire at the Bellevue Heights Apartments, 1741 W. Onondaga St., was set off by unattended cooking inside a second-floor apartment, District Chief Matthew Craner said.

Firefighters were called around 8:33 p.m. to the fire and saw heavy smoke pouring from the apartment’s windows, Craner said.

A man on a third floor balcony was waving to firefighters for help, Craner said. A second person was trapped on a balcony on the other side of the building, he said.

The building was filling with smoke and it was unclear if they could come down on their own, Craner said. Firefighters set down ladders to get them down safely.

They were evaluated by an EMS crew but weren’t transported to a hospital, Craner said.

The resident of the burning apartment got out on his own and was also evaluated, Craner said.

Four people in three apartments have been displaced because of fire, smoke and water damage to their apartments, Craner said.

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