Sources tell NewsChannel 13 that the woman was 24-year-old Sahaja Udumala.
ALBANY, N.Y. (WNYT) – One of the people hurt in Thursday’s fire on Western Avenue has died from her injuries.
Sources tell NewsChannel 13 that the woman was 24-year-old Sahaja Udumala. Neighbors who witnessed the fire are urging others to take extra safety precautions at home.
The fire broke out just before noon at 239 Western Ave. and spread to 241 Western Ave. The building was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived.
Four people were rescued. One person evacuated on their own, and firefighters assisted another person down a ladder. Two others were found inside.
A total of four people were taken to the hospital – two with serious injuries and two in critical condition. Two of the victims were later taken to Westchester Medical Center and a woman has now died, according to police.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said this is a reminder to be aware of fire hazards and to take smoke detector alerts seriously by exiting immediately.
New video shared with NewsChannel 13 by neighbor Patrick Johnson shows one of the homes engulfed in flames as firefighters rushed to control the fire. The video also shows first responders performing CPR on a victim.
Johnson hopes people take this as a wake-up call, adding that small, everyday safety habits can make a big difference.
“I feel like all we have to do is follow common safety procedures. Keeping the batteries in the smoke detectors. Making sure the oven and stove are on, just simple stuff like that and that’s how we keep ourselves safe and know that we can sleep well at night,” said Johnson.
Investigators spent the day back on scene, continuing their work to determine what caused the fire. Albany Fire Chief Joseph Gregory said the road was blocked off to protect crews working around the damaged homes.
RELATED: Four people hurt, two critically, in Albany fire
The American Red Cross is helping 13 people displaced by the fire.
Albany Police and the Albany Fire Department are working to determine the cause of the fire. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 518-462-8039. Anonymous tips may also be submitted to the Capital Region Crime Stoppers at www.capitalregioncrimestoppers.com
NewsChannel 13’s Benny Nezaj is working on this story and will have updates on air and online.
