Cause of Mansion house fires still unknown

ALBANY It was one of the most devastating fires in city history.

On April 15, a clear, Sunday night, four historic homes in the Mansion neighborhood went up in flames in just minutes. Two others were heavily damaged.

The next day, demolition work began on 58, 60, 62 and 64 Park Avenue, homes that were built between 1865 and 1875. By the end of the week, there was nothing but fresh asphalt where they once stood.

Soon after the fire, Albany Fire Chief Robert Forezzi said the blaze likely began on one of the homes' wooden back porches that had dried with age, which accelerated the conflagration.

Six months later, no other information has been released on what sparked the inferno.

"It's still under investigation," Forezzi said this week. "And could be for some time."

Forezzi said identifying the cause is taking so long because of several factors. For starters, such devastating fires can sometimes be hard to investigate because there is little evidence to examine by the time the blaze is extinguished. Investigators are relying heavily on what evidence they have gathered and interviews with witnesses, where another problems lies.

Forezzi said more than 60 people have been interviewed, and investigators have yet to piece together an accurate timeline of how the blaze progressed. One of the buildings where the fire may have started was home to a large Burmese family who speak little English, which Forezzi said continues to be an obstacle.

"There is certainly a language barrier that we are trying to work through," the chief said.

Witnesses said the fire rose quickly from behind one of the homes and spread across the back porches in less than 30 minutes. Though no one was seriously injured, neighbors, historians and public officials gathered for days to mourn.

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Cause of Mansion house fires still unknown