Amsterdam officials probe Brookside Avenue blaze

PHOTOGRAPHER: Edward Munger Jr.

Investigators are working to determine the cause of a four-alarm blaze that routed four people from a Brookside Avenue home in Amsterdam Sunday night.

Firefighters were called to 27-29 Brookside at about 7:17 p.m. Flames and heavy smoke were seen at the rear of the two-family home when firefighters arrived, Battalion Chief Michael DePasquale said this morning.

Four residents — one on the first floor and three on the second floor — were able to get out of the building safely with their pets, DePasquale said. There were no injuries.

The home had extensive fire damage on the first floor, second floor and attic and the rest of the home sustained heavy smoke and water damage.

The fire was under control at 8:28 p.m. and firefighters left the scene just before 11 p.m. as investigators began to peel through the remains looking for a cause.

The fire erupted roughly four homes south of the former Edy Brush Co. factory building that burned to the ground in a massive fire that affected multiple homes last summer.