BUFFALO
Firefighter injured at one of two predawn fires
Buffalo firefighters battled two fires in the predawn hours Thursday.
One firefighter was injured as crews doused flames at a vacant house at 67 Goembel Ave., just north of Walden Avenue. When crews arrived at the scene at about 4:15 a. m., they found flames engulfing a first-floor stairway. The fire quickly spread to the second floor.
The injured firefighter was taken to Erie County Medical Center for treatment of injuries that were described as minor.
Damage to the structure was estimated at $20,000. The cause is under investigation.
Fire officials have estimated that 90 percent of all blazes in vacant buildings are suspicious. In prior years, more than 40 percent of all structural fires have occurred in empty buildings.
Less than 40 minutes after crews were dispatched to the Goembel address, another blaze broke out in a 2z-story home at 331 Hudson St., near Orton Place, on the city’s Lower West Side. No one was injured, but damage to the house and contents was estimated at $150,000.
The fire started shortly after 5:50 a. m. on the first floor. Flames spread to the second floor and the attic. Extra firefighting equipment was brought to the scene.
The cause of the Hudson blaze remains under investigation, officials said.
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