Fire devastates apartment unit in Guilderland

PHOTOGRAPHER: PHOTO COURTESY OF CBS-6

Firefighters in Guilderland work on the back of the building of an apartment fire early this morning. About a half-dozen residents were treated for smoke inhalation.

REGENCY PARK APARTMENTS

About a half-dozen residents were treated for smoke inhalation after a fire of unknown origin devastated a six-apartment unit of the Regency Park Apartments on Western Avenue early this morning.

The fire left 13 people in need of assistance, the American Red Cross reported.

Westmere Fire Chief Henry Smith said the fire was reported through 911 at 4:24 a.m., and the six-apartment unit within the larger apartment complex was engulfed in flames when the first firefighter arrived.

“Our first priority was life and safety, to evacuate the six apartments,” Smith said.

Five or six residents were taken to either Albany Medical Center or St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany for treatment of smoke inhalation, he said. There were no injuries among firefighters.

“Once the residents were evacuated, it was what we call ‘surround and drown,’” Smith said.

A fire at a home in Schenectady on Saturday morning displaced two families.

The six apartments were a total loss, but Smith said concrete firewalls prevented the flames from spreading to adjoining units.

A state cause-and-origin team is investigating the cause of the fire.

Smith said mutual aid was provided by the Guilderland, Fort Hunter and McKownville fire departments.

Volunteers from the Northeastern New York Chapter of the American Red Cross provided immediate emergency aid to

four families, the Red Cross said.

The Red Cross said it provided temporary shelter and financial assistance for food and clothing to eight adults and five children — a newborn and ages 3, 7, 14 and 17.

Volunteers also supplied comfort kits containing personal care items and stuffed animals for the children. The organizations said Red Cross staff and volunteers will remain available to help those affected by the fire.

Reach Gazette reporter Stephen Williams at 395-3086, [email protected] or @gazettesteve on Twitter.