SYRACUSE — Seven people were displaced but no one was injured after an early-morning house fire Sunday at a two-family home on Bellevue Avenue, according to the Syracuse Fire Department.
Firefighters were dispatched at 2:43 a.m. Jan. 18, 2026, to a reported structure fire at 1606 Bellevue Ave., after Onondaga County 911 received the call. Crews from Station 3 arrived to find smoke coming from the front door of a 2½-story residential building. Occupants were already outside on the front porch and told firefighters something inside was burning, the department said.
A Signal “99,” indicating a working fire, was transmitted as crews began an interior attack. Engine 3 firefighters stretched hose lines while other teams entered to search for anyone who might still be inside.
Inside the front door, firefighters encountered heavy smoke and “zero visibility,” officials said, but quickly located the fire toward the rear of the structure and began suppression. The blaze was brought under control within about 10 minutes and fully extinguished within 20 minutes. Firefighters then checked for fire extension and continued searching the home to ensure everyone had made it out.
Investigators said the fire originated in a first-floor rear stairwell. The cause remained under investigation Sunday.
The building, described as a two-family wood-frame residence, sustained fire and water damage on the first floor, with smoke damage throughout the rest of the structure. Seven occupants were displaced and are being assisted by the American Red Cross.
Fire officials credited working smoke detectors with alerting residents in time to escape safely. Crews remained on scene for more than two hours for overhaul, cleanup, and to assist fire investigators.
