Cause of fire probed

8 receive aid after blaze

TROY, N.Y. » Firefighters are still working to determine the cause of a fire that occurred in a kitchen on 6th Avenue late Thursday morning.

Assistant Troy Fire Chief Eric McMahon said that the fire occurred at 158 6th Ave. shortly after 11 a.m.

“A few people called to report smoke from the rear of the residence,” said McMahon. “Our forces Engine’s 1 crew from the second platoon showed up, found fire venting out of a window in the middle of the wall, went in found a kitchen fire and extinguished the fire.”

McMahon said one cat did perish in the fire and that there was still one cat missing, but noted that several other pets did get rescued safely from the fire.

“There was a total of 10 cats, three dogs, some birds and various other pets,” said McMahon.

McMahon said that it was a pretty big fire and that the home was damaged, although he does not believe that it will be a total loss.

“It was a significant fire,” said McMahon. “[ The building] was heavily damaged, [ but] I don’t believe that it will need to be taken down, but it was a significant fire that did some damage to the building.”

McMahon said that no residents or firefighters were injured during the fire and that the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

“It was a pretty straight forward fire, it did require a second alarm assignment to bring the fire under control, there were no out of the ordinary events during the fire,” said McMahon.

Volunteers from the Northeastern New York Chapter of the American Red Cross provided immediate emergency aid to eight people after the fire.

The Red Cross said they provided financial assistance for necessities such as shelter, food and clothing to two families. The first family consists of two adults and one 13 year old child.

The second family includes two adults, a 13 year old, and two 11 year olds.

Volunteers also offered emotional support. In the coming days, Red Cross staff and volunteers will remain available to help those affected by the fire as they navigate the road to recovery, a news release said.