Fire 50% contained, former Camillus Cutlery Factory will be demolished
CAMILLUS -- Part of Genesee Street in Camillus is closed while crews fight a two alarm fire at the former Camillus Cutlery building.
As of 11pm, the fire is 50% contained. Crews will demolish the former factory where the fire broke out overnight.
Kevin Wisely, the Commissioner of the Onondaga County Department of Emergency Management, says crews will be working throughout the night into the morning fighting the flames in this "deep-seated, stubborn fire."
Firefighters have been able to contain the fire to the building of origin. The roof has already collapsed to the third floor.
Wisely says they believe the fire started when maintenance workers began doing some prep work for demolition.
One firefighter and two national grid workers were injured when a master streaming device hit them in the head. All three are in stable condition and recovering at the hospital.
Onondaga County 911 confirms that they received a call around 1:20 p.m. Monday of a fire at 24 Genesee Street, near Newport Road and South Street. A 911 dispatcher says Camillus firefighters were able to extinguish the initial fire, but more crews have been called back to assist.
The Camillus Fire Department received help from more than 30 agencies from two counties. Crews were dealing with water supply issues throughout the day. Firefighters are using a tanker shuttle to get water from nearby creeks and ponds.
Around 3:30 p.m. the fire took a turn for the wose, with visible flames erupting from the building.
West Genesee School District Superintendent Chris Brown said on Twitter that, “There is a fire at the old Camillus Cutlery building in the Village that is going to cause some busing delays this afternoon.”
Brown also tweeted this video of the smoke from the fire, which he could see from a few miles away.
Camillus Cutlery was one of the oldest knife-makers in America, and a landmark in the village, sprawling 90,000 square feet. The plant shut down in 2007 after over 100 years of operation.
Last year a Skaneateles development firm bought the building with plans to turn it into a medical wellness facility – it is not clear if those plans moved forward.
