CLARKSON, N.Y. — Firefighters used drones to locate hotspots during a massive fire at an apartment complex on Lake Road, about two miles north of SUNY Brockport.
Brockport Fire Chief Adam Leggett said most of the fire was in the attic, which is now destroyed. Chief Leggett said the drones offered an extra set of eyes for crews.
“It was really critical, especially on something like this because it was such a high elevation that we weren’t able to actually see a lot of the hotspots from the ground,” Leggett said.
Drones took pictures at the scene, highlighting the hottest areas. Chief Leggett said the drones improve safety and efficiency.
“It’s really helpful to be able to pinpoint those hotspots from a distance and from safety because otherwise we’d have to risk people going up to the third floor to try to pick through it and hit those hotspots with a handheld thermal imaging camera, and that certainly would be a bigger hazard,” Leggett said.
The attic ended up collapsing into the third floor. Chief Leggett said the building did not have firewalls meant to keep the fire from spreading across the entire attic.
“This building in particular did not have any firewalls that were meant to keep the fire from spreading across the entire attic,” Leggett said. “They did have a barrier that’s considered a barrier, but not an actual firewall. Also do not have sprinklers in the attic so that’s what allowed the fire to spread across the whole.”
Chief Leggett said the building was up to code, even without the sprinklers and firewall in the attic. He said it took a few hours to get everyone out safely and that a lot of the residents were older.
“They’re not able to get around as well, so that is always a priority as life-saving efforts,” Leggett said. “But on a building like that, you kind of understand that you’re getting into a larger situation and we knew that was going to be the priority.”
Four people were treated for injuries at the scene but were later released. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Thirty people are without a home because of the fire, and the Red Cross is helping them. Crews also rescued two cats and an iguana.
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