Green Island structure fire displaces family of seven

GREEN ISLAND, N.Y. (NEWS10) – An investigation into what caused a large fire in Green Island determined it to be accidental. A resident who lived in that home said it takes a village to pull through something like this.

A second alarm structure fire in the Village of Green Island occurred at 46 Paine Street. Thomas Hildreth praised the community for rallying around his family during this difficult time.

The fire broke out at the family home on Thursday night just before 10:00 P.M. Hildreth said seven people lived in the home. 

He and his wife and their three kids lived on the bottom floor and his parents lived on the top floor. He said he went to Stewart’s for ice cream and was gone just 10 minutes before he came home to a chaotic scene.

“I just see a big giant glow in the air, smoke covering the street, neighbors running in to help get the family out,” said Hildreth. His mom was hospitalized. “She was transferred up to upstate burn center in Syracuse due to the amount of smoke she inhaled, but as far as we know, she is stable and gonna make it.”

He said everyone else is in good health, however they lost six cats in the fire. But one — Neo —  did survive. Hildreth said Neo ran out of the house and was immediately given oxygen. 

“She’s at Upstate Vet over in Latham, responding well to the treatment,” said Hildreth.

Green Island Fire Chief E.J. Seney said early indications suggest it started in the back of the house. He described how firefighters contained the fire and kept the flames from spreading to neighboring homes.

“On arrival, they had a well-advanced fire that was shooting through the roof and up the back,” said Seney. “But the crews, very aggressively, went into the adjoining houses and opened it up. Got to where the fire was or was trying to come in and extinguished it.”

Seney praised the work of his department and their partners who responded from Watervliet, Cohoes and Troy Fire Departments, as well as the Watervliet Arsenal.

“I do say the Green Island Police Department, Fire Department, Cohoes, everyone that showed up last night…Tremendous effort to do what they could do. It just had a good head start on them,” said Hildreth.

He said the Paine Street disaster has caused them a great deal of pain and called it “one of those things you never expect to happen to you.”

The family has a GoFundMe set-up and they’ve already received some help. The community has shown up and asked what they need, some even dropped off water for firefighters and clothes for the displaced family.

“I lived in Green Island all my life. The community here… they pull together when something like this happens,” said Hildreth. “When I tell you it takes a village, it takes a village. Everyone pulled together for us here.” 

Despite the tragedy, the family is extremely grateful for the Green Island Community’s support. The village office is accepting gift cards and monetary donations on behalf of the family.

Seney said the house will be demolished on Friday.