As temperatures dropped below zero overnight, eight people in Troy were faced with the bitterly cold elements after a fire broke out.
The Northeastern New York chapter of the American Red Cross is offering food, shelter, and clothing along with emotional support in the coming days.
"We definitely do see an increase in the number of requests for assistance from things like home fires,” said Josh Moskowitz, Senior Disaster Program Manager. “But we also see large scale incidents like pipes bursting, things like that."
These winter months present challenges for first responders in any emergency. Reports say a firefighter in Troy Saturday morning had to go to the hospital after slipping and falling on the ice.
"In these subzero temperatures in a structure fire you're spraying a lot of water; firefighters get wet, coated very quickly and it freezes over,” John D’Alessandro, Executive Secretary for Firefighters Association of New York (FASNY). “So, it restricts movement, you have to remember the gear we wear is not the most athletic at times. so, the added weight and the added restriction of ice."
The Red Cross's support goes beyond people suffering from a fire.
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"We do have situations where a large area is without electricity for a certain amount of time,” Moskowitz added. “At that point we're probably going to look at opening up a shelter to make sure people have some place to go that's warm and that's safe and they can get something to eat until we can figure out how long before they're going to be able to get back into their homes."
But, the need for support can be prevented. In December, Governor Hochul signed legislation to help curb the preventable deaths caused by space heater fires.
The law requires space heaters sold in the state to have a thermostat and automatic shut off.
It was created after a space heater caused a fire in a Bronx apartment building in January 2022.
The fire killed 17 people, including eight children.
In the Capital Region, since the beginning of winter, the Schenectady Fire Department has made space heater safety a priority.
“You don’t want to have a space heater and have clutter around it you don’t want to have a space heater and have electrical cords you want to plug that space heater right into the outlet,” said Chief Dawn Moreno, Schenectady Fire Department.
First responders say, having carbon monoxide and fire alarm detectors is also a key prevention effort.