GUILDERLAND — It was six degrees out when the call came in at 4:30 a.m. on Jan. 4 about an apartment-house fire on McKown Road, said Paul Fuino, assistant chief of the North Bethlehem Fire Department.
"I pulled up and saw the fire and said, ‘We’re in trouble with the conditions,’" recalled Fuino.

The brick building had six apartments, he said. The family in the burning apartment was safely outside by the time the firefighters arrived, said Fuino.

It took an hour to get the blaze under control, he said; his company didn’t leave the scene until 10:30 a.m.
There was "heavy damage" in the apartment where the fire started, said Fuino. "We don’t know the cause at this point," he said. "To save the other five apartments was quite an accomplishment."
A drive is underway to help the family that was burned out. They lost their home and all of their belongings, said Marie Smith, the nurse at Guilderland High School, where the child in the family is a student. "It’s so traumatic for them," Smith said, explaining she did not want to name the family to protect their privacy.
Smith suggested the best donations would be gift cards for stores "where you can get a lot for the dollar." A notice about the drive is posted on the district’s website at www.guilderlandschools.org. Smith can be reached at 861-8591, ext. 3031.
"The community has been so wonderful," Smith said of donations received so far. "I’m glad I live here."

Firefighter injured
"They were tough conditions; there was so much ice," said Fuino. Water froze on the sidewalks and driveway and on the firefighters’ gear and on the top of the trucks, he said.

Other departments — from Westmere, McKownville, Slingerlands, and Guilderland — joined the fight through mutual aid. The Western Turnpike Rescue Squad was on the scene, said Fuina, and the fire department from Delmar was ready to help if a firefighter were trapped.
Bill Swartz, with the Westmere Fire Department, slipped on the ice and broke his leg. He is 66 years old and has been a firefighter for 46 years. Swartz said he doesn’t plan to give up now. "I’m not going to quit," Swartz told The Enterprise yesterday.
Swartz, who drives the department’s aerial truck, was standing by the ladder truck when he slipped on the ice. "Everybody was slipping and sliding....Down I went," said Swartz. "I knew it was broke the minute I hit."
He had surgery at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany. "They put in a pin from my knee to my ankle," he said.
He’s home now. "I’ll be out 16 weeks," said Swartz, a busy retired electrician.
Asked if it was painful, Swartz answered, "Very," with a laugh. He went on, "I don’t take the medication."
Swartz’s son is the Westmere fire chief. "I taught him; now he’s teaching me," he said. "He’s my chief."
Swartz concluded, "I’m in for the duration. I’m doing fine. It was an accident. It’s just a bump in the road. I’ll be back."