Fire forces 10 from apartment house

No injuries reported; cause determined to be accidental

TROY, N.Y. » As many as 10 people were forced from their apartments by a Wednesday afternoon fire in a multi-family home on Hill Street.

Assistant Fire Chief Eric McMahon said firefighters received a call shortly after 3:15 p. m. Wednesday, but the fire had been burning for some time before it was discovered in the apartment building on the corner of Jefferson and Hill streets.

“The fire itself had burned some time before discovery and unfortunately got into the actual structure of the building,” McMahon explained Thursday. “There was lots of confined, hidden spaces where the fire man- ifested itself, so the extensive overhaul really did some damage to the building and wouldn’t allow the people to remain in the building.”

McMahon said that the building’s electrical system had been affected by the fire, so officials had to disconnect that utility, as well as natural gas service.

“[ That] rendered the building [un]inhabitable, but the building certainly will be rehabbed,” said McMahon. “It’s not a total loss.”

McMahon said no residents or firefighters were injured, but firefighters did face significant obstacles in battling the blaze.

“The difficulty was that it was a hidden space fire that had a little bit of a head start on us,” explained McMahon, “so getting to those areas to make certain that it was absolutely extinguished was imperative.”

McMahon said the cause of the fire was determined to be accidental.

The Northeastern New York chapter of the American Red Cross provided financial assistance for necessities such as shelter, food and clothing to six adults and four children, ranging in age from six months to 12 years old, in three families. Volunteers also offered emotional support, comfort kits containing personal care items and stuffed animals for the children.