Schenectady fire crews extinguishes 2 fires in 1 night

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Schenectady Fire Department firefighters had a late night on Friday night into Saturday morning. Crews fought two fires within roughly four hours, one of which was caused by a pickup truck that hit a home with five people inside it on Van Velsen Street.

Schenectady Fire Department Assistant Chief Dave Massaro said they were called to 1035 Van Velsen Street around 4 a.m. He said the fire ignited after a pickup truck left the roadway, drove through the yard of another home, and collided with the side of a home.

The truck damaged the home’s gas meter, and the fire spread up the side of the house. Massaro said the fire was mostly contained to the exterior of the home, and no one was injured. Crews had the flames out by 4:15 a.m. before double-checking for hot spots.

Earlier in the night, around 11:30 p.m., Schenectady firefighters responded to a heavily involved structure fire at a two-family home where one large family lives at 1584 and 1586 Avenue A. The fire rapidly spread to two surrounding homes due to their close proximity and construction materials, according to Massaro.

One person was transported to Ellis Hospital for minor burn injuries, and crews had the fire out just after 2:30 a.m. The fire displaced 10 people, and the American Red Cross was called to help the family with housing.

“Both buildings were declared uninhabitable by the Schenectady Building Department and are scheduled for demolition,” Massaro said.

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