ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Fire crews are still on scene Tuesday after a deadly fire ripped through a house on Twiller Street in Albany. Albany Fire Chief Joseph Gregory said his firefighters did everything they could and are continuing to investigate what happened.
“The fire department is a family. You’ll always hear us say it’s the greatest job in the world. Yesterday wasn’t one of those great days,” said Chief Gregory.
Gregory said Monday morning’s fire at 23 Twiller Street in Albany may be the most devastating fire in recent memory.
“We really can’t recall a loss of life to this magnitude here in our city. You know, we’ve had fatal fires over the past few years but nothing to this extent and in one single incident,” said Gregory.
All five people that were inside the house Monday morning died. This includes three children — a three-year-old girl, four-year-old boy and six-year-old boy — as well as two male adults, aged 47 and 52.
The 52-year-old male, a three-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy were transported to Albany Medical Center Monday morning, while the 47-year-old male and six-year-old girl were reportedly stuck inside. Fire crews eventually got them out, where they were pronounced dead on the scene.
NEWS10’s Vanessa Blasi confirmed that two of the children attended KIPP Tech Valley Primary School. In part of a statement, KIPP Capital Region said both of the children are going to be greatly missed.
“Their loss is deeply felt by their classmates, teachers and the entire KIPP family,” said KIPP Capital Region in part of a statement. “We have additional counselors, along with our school’s existing team, available to provide care and assistance to both students and staff as we navigate this unimaginable loss together.”
A memorial was also set up outside the house with stuffed animals, flowers and balloons. One neighbor who didn’t want to go on camera, shared that her heart is broken for the people lost.
“It’s painful because I’ve experienced something like that too. But to lose a human being is not forgettable,” said Ruth.
Gregory shared that the fire started on the first floor Monday morning and advanced to the second floor, and then into the roof. It also spread to the two neighboring houses — 21 and 25 Twiller Street. NEWS10’s Vanessa Blasi spoke to the people who live in 21 Twiller Street — they said they lost about half of their belongings due to fire damage.
“From an operational standpoint, it was a stubborn fire. The firefighters battled it, it was a very hot fire it seemed like it had advanced quite a bit prior to our arrival,” said Gregory. “Any of these older homes, we find that there are second roofs on the building, you know, hidden voids that fire gets trapped in.”
Gregory also noted that this week is Fire Prevention Week. While he could not specify any cause of the fire, he said he wants everyone to take extra precautions.
“A big message that we always put through is close the door behind you. You don’t realize how important that is. That can stop and delay fire from moving throughout a building,” said Gregory. “We urge people to pay attention, make sure that their smoke alarms are operational, their CO detectors are operation, and they have an escape plan.
The Albany Fire Department also has a peer support system in place for the firefighters that responded on Monday. Gregory said together, they will ensure everyone is okay.
“A lot of times we’re there for the people, you know this time, we need them a little bit,” said Gregory.
It is still unclear what will happen to 23 Twiller St., the residence where the fire started, or to the two other houses next door. Gregory said his team is on the verge of completing their on-scene investigation. After that they will move onto the next phase of investigations.
Furthermore, there will be a vigil held Tuesday at 7 p.m. in front of 23 Twiller St. This is a developing story, stick with NEWS10 ABC for updates.
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