Camillus Cutlery fire

A fireman on a ladder truck sprays water on the fully involved fire.

(Photo by Mike Greenlar | mgreenlar@syracuse.com)

Update 11 p.m.: Firefighters and demolition crews work overnight as Camillus Cutlery factory comes down



Earlier:

Camillus, NY – A stubborn fire at the vacant Camillus Cutlery factory could burn all night or longer, officials said Monday night.

A Camillus police officer said he hoped the fire would be nearly extinguished by Tuesday morning, but added flare-ups would probably continue for days.

The 1:20 p.m. fire started out small when a wall caught fire during demolition work. A worker inside escaped on his own. By 3 p.m., witnesses said flames were shooting through the roof.

• See our previous coverage, including photos and videos from the fire.

Between 100 to 150 firefighters and emergency personnel responded and ended up working the blaze from the outside. There wasn’t enough water pressure at hydrants near the scene, so tanker trucks carried in water from across Onondaga County and from parts of Cayuga County, said Camillus police Sgt. Mark Eckert. Once there, the trucks ferried water from the top of a nearby hill.

Though the factory sits on the bank of Ninemile Creek, the embankment makes it too difficult to draw water for the fire, Eckert said. It was not known Monday night how much pollution from the fire would end up in the creek, a prime fishing area.

The 100-year-old wood burned easily and decades of sawdust under the floor contributed to the blaze, as did the oil-soaked floors, Eckert said.

The flames came from only a small portion of the building. As time progressed, the heart of the fire seemed to move slowly along the third floor, leaving a charred skeleton in its wake.

Portions of the building had collapsed inward, but no surrounding buildings were in danger Monday night, Eckert said.

A small apartment building with five families directly behind the factory was evacuated due to smoke, he said. Town police, sheriff’s deputies and troopers made rounds to nearby residents to check on them.

Police were making hourly visits to senior centers and elderly residents in the village, Eckert said. But the smoke had spread all the way to Fairmount.

He urged people with respiratory ailments and COPD to evacuate due to heavy smoke.

A nearby resident said around 6:30 p.m. that authorities had been around the neighborhood to check on people, but the smoke hadn't gotten into homes downwind.

Assuming fire trucks are still blocking Route 5 in the morning, getting the nearby children to school is going to be a challenge, said Camillus Police Chief Thomas Winn.

Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 470-6070. Follow him on Twitter: @DougDowty.