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1 dead, 7 rescued from Chili Avenue fire in Rochester

Spectrum News

Rochester fire officials say that one person died and seven were rescued after an early morning fire Friday on Chili Avenue.

It involved a two-story, 12-unit building at 565 Chili Avenue. Firefighters helped seven people out of the building, with one of them rescued from a second-floor balcony via a ladder.

The person who died was later found in an apartment that had been engulfed in flames. Another person was taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Fire Lt. Ryan Fleming said that, “The effort of the firefighters on scene was nothing short of heroic. They put their own safety aside in order to attempt to save a life.”

No firefighters were injured. The Red Cross will help tenants left without a place to stay. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Before retiring in March 2025, Randy Gorbman was WXXI's director of news and public affairs and managed the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.