Two of three fires in Utica ruled incendiary

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Two of three fires in Utica ruled incendiary

NEWSChannel 2 Newsroom Staff

STORY IN BRIEF:
Utica Fire Department battled three fires early Saturday morning:

  • 1331 Oneida Street 
  • 107 Hobart Street 
  • 1121 Court Street

New Hartford and New York Mills Fire Departments assisted.

UTICA – The Utica Fire Department had to respond to three fires with in 45 minutes of each other, late Friday, July 4th. Utica had to call upon fire companies from two outside communities to assist in covering the three calls.

The first call came in around 11:30PM at 1331 Oneida Street, adjacent to the Oneida Square area. A one story addition to the rear of the structure known as the Greystone Building , a well known bingo hall, was fully involved in flames. Utica fire fighters made quick work of that blaze, but not before a second fire call was reported at 107 Hobart Street…literally around the corner from the Oneida Street fire scene.

The Hobart Street fire was in the rear of a vacant, boarded up two store structure. That fire was also knocked down quickly, but Utica requested assistance from New Hartford at Hobart Street.

While still at Hobart Street  Utica received a telephone alarm of fire 1121 Court Street. First responders reported the structure was fully involved. Heavy smoke could be seen over the city from the West Utica blaze.

The location of the Court Street fire is near York Street, just two blocks south the Whitesboro Street location of a fire that killed four people in April of this year.  

New York Mills volunteers assisted Utica at the Court Street scene. Also at the Court Street fire was the newly-reformed Arson Task Force also responded to the scene. 

The Court Street fire was brought under control shortly after 1:00AM.

One fire fighter sustained minor injuries at the Oneida Street fire.

Investigators believe that the Court Street and Hobart Street fires were set and feel that the cause of the Court Street fire is suspicious.

 

Tuesday, Jul 8 at 6:17 AM WAY To GO! wrote ...

Way to go NY Mills FD and New Hartford FD, -the right people to help fight fires!

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Monday, Jul 7 at 9:29 PM Anonymous wrote ...

Hey I just read on the OD site that there was a kid who went into the Court Street house and got out an elderly woman out of the house. KUDOS to Mr Santiago!! Way to go:)

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Monday, Jul 7 at 9:39 AM maybe wrote ...

Utica should open up a wild fire training facility. Nothing beats live training and it would be consistant.

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Monday, Jul 7 at 7:09 AM wad wrote ...

BURN BABY BURN!! SOMEDAY WE WILL GET LUCKY AND HAVE HALF THE CITY BURN DOWN!!!!

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Monday, Jul 7 at 7:00 AM Boilermaker wrote ...

I bet that building on Court St. is taking down before the Boilermaker. That's pretty sad that there's buildings all around the city still standing. Take all of them down.

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Sunday, Jul 6 at 11:15 PM Utica Resident wrote ...

Sorry but all I have to say is that you people are all complaining about the buildings that are empty and the Arson task force. What about the families that have lost everything in these fires, why not worry about that then to worry about the buildings that should or should not be torn down. Or the parking lots that are needed and all the riff raff. Think about the families and how they are displaced because whomever thinks it is cool to see a fire. Get real .

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Sunday, Jul 6 at 2:50 PM abc to Pepe Ed wrote ...

It was just reformed, you goof. Just days before this. They arent there to just stand guard to prevent arson, they are there to investigate when it DOES happen. I guess you can add mindreader to the list of things you expect from others? You are a very close minded individual.

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Sunday, Jul 6 at 5:50 AM Joey j wrote ...

The city of utica needs more parking lots so guess who is doing the fires.... We all need to get them all on video and then the people of utica will really see what is going on. Not all 0f us are crazy we know what goes on here in utica N.Y.

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Sunday, Jul 6 at 12:43 AM Makes ya wonder wrote ...

Wow another mulit-dept. fire that YFD was not called for.

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Sunday, Jul 6 at 12:13 AM what wrote ...

2 fires ruled Incendiary Which 2? The article doesn't state which 2

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Saturday, Jul 5 at 9:51 PM Uticarentalowner wrote ...

I could only wish that someone would burn my rental property down...:(

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Saturday, Jul 5 at 7:05 PM sick of people wrote ...

hey alrighty then that fire on court street wasnt a vacant building that was my friends house who had a baby and a girl. Why dont you get your facts straight before talking.

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Saturday, Jul 5 at 2:44 PM Hmmm... wrote ...

something smells "FISHY'come on city of utica......

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Saturday, Jul 5 at 12:16 PM Spouting wrote ...

The last time the arson squad was around people were being convicted and arsons went down. The worst thing that happened was the disbanding of it.

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Saturday, Jul 5 at 11:18 AM anfony world traveler wrote ...

they should burn the whole city down,then we can all move out to New Hartford and infest and brainwash the others,when I say others they seem like UTICA is different like "we" are aliens ..happy weekend..

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Saturday, Jul 5 at 1:06 AM alrighty then wrote ...

just like the old days nobody wants the vacant buildings so they burn them down,utica needs to rip all of them down an bill the owners,or is the city doing it?

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Saturday, Jul 5 at 12:52 AM Pepe Ed wrote ...

Oh, newly RE formed arson squad? - are you sure that's money well spent?

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