Storage location may be a loss
COLONIE — Firefighters were at the scene of a warehouse fire at BBL Construction’s storage complex on Kings Road for about nine hours Friday as multiple crews battled the blaze.
The Stanford Heights Fire Department, whose districts covers parts of Colonie and Niskayuna, was first called to 1204 Kings Road at about 1:30 p.m. Friday, Chief Dave Kingsland told the Times Union Saturday. A second alarm for what would eventually be a four-alarm fire was immediately called on arrival, he said.
Over half a dozen other departments were called in to respond and bring in outside water because there are no hydrants in the vicinity, Kingsland said. All employees had been safely evacuated before crews arrived. One employee at the warehouse was taken to Albany Medical Center for evaluation, but was later released and is not injured, according to a statement from Colonie police.
Firefighters were at the scene until about 10:30 p.m. Friday. Kingsland said the warehouse will likely need to be torn down.
“The building has suffered extensive damage,” he said. “I couldn’t even begin to describe the damage it sustained.”
The town of Colonie Fire Services Division is handling the investigation into the cause and origin of the fire, Kingsland said.
The fire appears to have resulted from cutting in a maintenance area of the building, which ignited flammable materials, a release Saturday from town of Colonie police said. The fire does not appear to have been intentional.
In a statement posted to their Facebook page Saturday from company president Jonathan H. deForest, BBL Construction said the loss of its 10,000-square foot storage and repair facility would not affect ongoing operations.
“We are grateful that no one was injured and that the damages that were suffered were limited to items that can be replaced,” deForest wrote. “In that regard, we owe a great deal of gratitude to the multiple fire departments and first responders whose dedication contained the situation in a professional and safe manner.”