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2 alarm fire breaks out in Black Rock

Posted at 7:03 AM, Dec 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-12 08:41:49-05

Crews responded to a large two-alarm fire Monday morning in Buffalo's Black Rock neighborhood.  Fire affected at least two buildings.

The fire broke out in 12 Grote Street around 6 a.m., on the corner of Military Road and Grote Street. Firefighters say that building was vacant, and eventually collapsed. The building next door, 203 Military Road, was occupied and sustained heavy damage. Police evacuated four adults and one child from the second building.

Nearly 60 firefighters were called to help fight this blaze. Buffalo Fire Department Commissioner Garnell Whitfield tells 7 Eyewitness News two firefighters were hurt. One firefighter suffered a shoulder injury. Another had an unknown respiratory issue. Both were transported to local hospitals by AMR for treatment.

The Red Cross is helping the five people evacuated from 203 Military Road. Firefighters estimate the Grote Street property sustained $120,000 in damage. The occupied building next door sustained $120,000 damage to the structure, and another $80,000 to the contents inside. A third building on Military Road also sustained $25,000 damage from the fire. 

Fire marshals are investigating at the scene, looking for a potential cause to the fire. Commissioner Whitfield said, "any vacant property that catches on fire in the City of Buffalo is a suspicious fire. We're very concerned about that."