OSWEGO – Today at 3:11 a.m., Oswego County 911 was alerted to a structure fire at 39 West Bridge Street, City of Oswego. Oswego Firefighters and Police Officers arrived quickly to find heavy smoke and fire in the rear of a second story apartment. One occupant was home at the time of the fire and was able to escape without injury. Oswego Police Officers quickly evacuated nearby buildings and escorted occupants to safety.
Mayor Billy Barlow said, “Thanks to the swift response and quick work by the Oswego Fire Department, this downtown fire was quickly contained and didn’t spread to more buildings. This fire could’ve been much, much worse. The response was a multi-department effort including the City of Oswego Police Department,Department of Public Works, Code Enforcement, and the Engineering Department who all executed effectively. Thank you to OFD Chief Conzone, the entire fire department, and all assisting agencies who helped during today’s incident.”
Firefighters conducted an aggressive interior attack on the second story and were met with high heat and heavy fire above the ceiling and in the cockloft. Conditions quickly deteriorated and became untenable for Firefighters, causing tactics to shift to defensive operations.
Aerial ladders were set up on West Bridge and West Second Streets, flowing large quantities of water for approximately 90 minutes to knock down the blaze. A drone piloted by members from the Oswego City and Oswego County drone team was deployed and was used to direct water streams to the seat of the fire. The fire was reported under control at 5 a.m., and all units were back in service by 9 a.m. All city streets were reopened shortly after.
Several mutual aid companies assisted at the scene such as Novelis, Fulton, Scriba, Minetto, Oswego Town, Volney, New Haven, and Mexico . Other agencies on the scene included the Oswego County Fire Coordinator’s Office, National Grid, Oswego County Sherrif’s, Menter Ambulance, and Oswego County 911.
The Oswego City School District provided a bus as a warming center for first responders, and the Oswego DPW was on scene all night spreading sand and salt over iced surfaces. City of Oswego Code Enforcement and Engineering was also on the scene assessing building safety.
The fire building sustained heavy damage to the second floor and roof. Nearby structures sustained considerable water damage. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
