COHOES — A fire stoked by 20 to 30 mph winds destroyed or damaged nearly two dozen downtown buildings and was traced to a man who was trying to forge a blade over a burning barrel, according to authorities.

Thursday's inferno — the likes of which have rarely been seen in the Capital Region —destroyed three structures, damaged 18 other buildings and displaced at least 20 people. A firefighter was taken to the hospital with unspecified injuries, but remarkably no other injuries were reported.

"It is the worst disaster the city has ever seen," Mayor Shawn Morse said at an evening press conference that appeared on a live broadcast. The city is under a state of emergency.

Within six hours of when the fire started — and while it was still burning — John A. Gomes, 51, of Cohoes was charged with felony reckless endangerment and misdemeanor arson.

Lori Van Buren/Albany Times Union

Gomes is accused of starting a barrel fire in his backyard that quickly spread out of control, Morse said. The fire is said to have started in the rear of a building near 228 Remsen St., where Gomes lives. The mayor said Gomes was trying to bend metal in an apparent attempt to mimic the History Channel television series "Forged in Fire" about bladesmithing.

Assistant police Chief Tom Ross classified the fire as unintentional, or "reckless arson."

"We often tell people we don't allow open burns in the city and they often say, 'What's the worst that could happen?'" Morse said. "Well, this open burn just caused millions of dollars of damage and destroyed half our downtown."

Gomes was arraigned by City Court Judge Thomas Marcelle. He pleaded not guilty and was jailed on $15,000 bail. The public defenders assigned to Gomes' case said the man has lived in the city since 1999 and has two children. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Widespread impacts

The fire overtook large swaths of downtown Remsen Street at 2 p.m., turning brick structures into collapsing fireballs, until it was brought under control at 5 p.m. An hour later, flames broke out again and ignited buildings on the 170 block of Remsen Street.

Albany County Fire Coordinator Jerry Paris said wind gusts carried embers across blocks and over buildings.

Some of Cohoes' most prominent businesses were affected. Smith's tavern and restaurant, known for the length of its bar, and Rizzo's flower shop were badly damaged. The former home of Claremont's Tavern collapsed before dusk.

By night's end, Morse said, three city blocks had been engulfed in smoke and flames.

Assemblyman John McDonald, a former city mayor, said the garage of his family business, Marra's Pharmacy, was one of the three buildings that fire leveled. The structure held inventory and records, he said.

A vacant church at Mohawk and White streets had hot spots from burning materials on its roof, McDonald said.

"The village of Menands saved that church," said Common Council member Randy Koniowka, referring to the volunteer fire department that doused the building with water.

Firefighters expressed concern over the possibility that asbestos dust was being blown through the downtown streets. One said soaking the rubble makes it less likely for asbestos or other toxins to be carried in the wind. That makes the area safer for for crews clearing the debris and passersby.

A column of smoke from the fire could be seen for several miles off. Meanwhile, power was cut in much of the downtown, forcing businesses blocks from the fire to close.

Weather conditions Thursday were dry and windy, with gusts up to 30 mph. The last measurable rain was one-100th of an inch that fell on Sunday, said meteorologist Kevin Lipton at the National Weather Service in Albany. Total rainfall for the month was 0.79 inches, well below the 3.29 inch average for November. Rain did start falling later in the evening in the region.

Fear, compassion

Kawaun Carrethers, 24, said he was at work when he saw the news and noticed his 200 Remsen St. apartment was near the fire. He immediately worried about his girlfriend, who he knew was inside, asleep with a broken phone. The woman said firefighters knocked on the door to get her and two of their three cats out.

Firefighters from Cohoes, Albany, Watervliet, Green Island, Menands, North Bethlehem and other departments were battling the flames, leaving several inches of water filling the street.

SKIP DICKSTEIN/Albany Times Union

McDonald had been in Albany when he received word of the blaze. Seeing the column of smoke grow larger as he drove north, he recalled, "I could tell it wasn't going to be good."

McDonald likened the long line of fire trucks ranked along Remsen Street to a Memorial Day parade and later recalled that another blaze had destroyed the same block in 1988.

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John Gomes, 16, got a call about the fire and rushed to his home, finding it destroyed. "My house is on fire. It was on fire — it's gone now," he said.

Gomes' dog and a dog in another apartment were trapped inside the burning building, but a firefighter got inside to save the animals, he said. It could not be determined if he is related to the man arrested.

Diana Toyas had just picked up her son Troy, 4, from preschool when they saw the smoke. Some of the firefighters who had visited Troy's class that day for community outreach were now trying to douse the burning buildings.

The youngster was amazed by the flow of about three inches of water flowing down the street from hydrants and hoses.

"I love this street; the (city) has worked hard to revive it but there are a lot of empty buildings on it," Toyas said.

Volunteers from the Northeastern New York chapter of the American Red Cross arrived as dusk fell. People who fled a burning building wearing t-shirts and jeans were glad to climb inside the warm Red Cross truck where volunteers offered to wrap them in big blankets as protection against the cold wind.

The agency later said it provided financial assistance for necessities such as shelter, food and clothing to 11 different families, consisting of 16 adults and two children, ages 1 and 10.

Paul Marra wore his Albany County coroner jacket as he watched the fire and recalled the 1988 fire.

"We lost a street. The wind wouldn't quit, It just kept blowing embers from one building to a rooftop to trees," he said. "I hope this isn't like that one."

Later Thursday evening, five hours after the fire first started, 44-year-old Amy Roach still didn't know if her apartment at 169 Remsen St. had been damaged.

But she was OK, she said, thanks to the kindness of strangers she encountered throughout the night, like the CDTA bus driver who let Roach and others on his warm bus while they waited for news, or the emergency worker who volunteered to drive her to the community shelter since her multiple sclerosis made it hard to walk.

"I'm more worried about the guy downstairs who I know walks with a cane," she said. "I've been walking up and down the block looking for him, even though he must be OK because the firefighters said so."

"I don't know if I lost my house," she added. "But I'm crying for the people who lost everything. It's just so disheveling — to see how quickly things can fall right apart."