It was an apocalyptic scene in Albany Thursday night after a massive fire engulfs the old Doane Stuart school.
By 6:30 p.m. flames could be seen soaring above the historic building located on Kenwood Road. Large flames were still ripping through the building at 12 a.m..
A large black plume and orange glow could be seen for miles.
Fire crews spent hours fighting the raging inferno that’s likely to burn through the night.
Flames from photos posted to social media can be seen for miles.
Firefighters faced a dangerous battle with this blaze as walls of the old school could be seen collapsing. At one moment, bystanders watched as the steeple collapsed into the building.
One former volunteer firefighter at the scene told CBS6 that it was the largest fire he’s seen in a decade.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan spoke with reporters after she was briefed by fire crews at the scene.
She said the building was fully engulfed when fire crews arrived. Firefighters were told not to go inside and could be seen on ladder trucks spraying water onto the building with little effect.
The building has been vacant for years. Mayor Sheehan said, at this point, it’s unclear if anyone was in the building when the fire broke out.
It’s not known what caused the fire. Fire investigators have not been able to start looking into the cause.
“At this point, our investigators can’t even get into where they would need to be to investigate this fire,” said Sheehan.
Sheehan says getting water to the scene was a challenge, in part due to fire trucks not being able to get to the scene through Pearl Street.
“But we don't believe it would have made a huge difference [in fighting the fire]. This fire was spreading rapidly throughout the building,” said Sheehan.
The mayor said so far no injuries have been reported.
She said she’s grateful for a decision the city made a few months back that may have prevented this situation from being worse than it already is.
“We were very fortunate that a few months ago, we were so concerned about the amount of brush that existed and obscured our view of the building, that we brought in an excavator and removed that brush, which you know, clearly has helped our firefighters to be able to see what they’re dealing with, and to be able to attack this fire expeditiously, and had all that brush in and all that overgrowth been in the way, I would be very concerned because that would really create safety issues for firefighters,” Sheehan said.
The building has been vacant since the early 2000's when the school moved to its current location in Rensselaer according to online records.
The blaze caught the eye of a former student who attended Sunday school at the building decades ago. As he drove through the area, he pulled over to watch the fire destroy the building he said he spent years in.
Now all that’s left of it are the memories that remain.
“Running up and down the halls of the probably 12 to 14 foot ceilings,” said Jim Gredy, as he reminisced about the days he spent at the old school. “It’s sad because it’s part of history– Capital Region history. It’s just such a spectacular building.:
Those at the current Doane Stuart School have released this statement:
The faculty, staff, administration, and alumni at Doane Stuart are heartbroken to hear about the fire at our old campus. It was an absolutely beautiful building and property that held years of memories for so many of us. Doane Stuart was a tenant of the property from 1975 until June of 2009 when we moved to our current campus in Rensselaer. Our thoughts are with everyone who is grieving the loss of this special landmark in Doane Stuart’s history.
Mayor Sheehan said that officials will be holding a press conference Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. to provide an update on the fire.