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More than a half-dozen sheriff's office vehicles parked at the Onondaga Valley Cemetery. Ground patrols and the Air 1 helicopter were called in to search for a man who deputies say shot a gun near firefighters battling a mobile home fire.

(Jacob Pucci | jpucci@syracuse.com)

UPDATE: Police are continuing their search and are still investigating as of 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, a sheriff's office spokesman said.

NEDROW, N.Y. -- Authorities are searching for a man who deputies say fired a handgun in the air near firefighters battling a mobile home fire on the Onondaga Nation.

The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office Air 1 helicopter is patrolling the sky near the mobile home on Route 80, between Gibson and Lions Den roads. The helicopter is also patrolling in Nedrow and in the Valley neighborhood in Syracuse.

U.S. Marshals have also joined in the search.

The man was seen wearing a dark sweatshirt and was carrying a lacrosse stick and a handgun, Detective Jon Seeber said.

While firefighters were putting out the fire at the abandoned trailer, the man appeared from a nearby wooded area.

When deputies approached him, he fired at least one shot into the air and fled back into the woods, Seeber said.

The fire was first reported around 6:35 a.m. The shots were reported at 7:15 a.m., Seeber said.

It's unclear if the fire and the shots fired are connected, Seeber said.

When the shots were fired, all firefighters were pulled from the burning trailer.

"The safety of fire personnel was our priority," Seeber said.

The trailer was destroyed in the fire and flames and smoke can still be seen coming from the rubble. Crews have not been cleared to return.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but Seeber noted that the trailer was empty and said there's "certainly some concern" how the fire started.

Check back to Syracuse.com for updates.

Contact Jacob Pucci: Email | Twitter | 315-766-6747