Several Families Homeless After Fire Near Binghamton High School

A fundraising effort has been launched to assist those who were displaced by a fast-moving fire that destroyed a Binghamton apartment house.

The two-alarm blaze in the residential structure behind a restaurant and grocery store at 59 Main Street broke out around 11:30 a.m. Sunday. The scene is one block west of Binghamton High School.

Investigators say it started as a grease fire as a woman reportedly was deep-frying egg rolls. She ran to the neighboring Taj Tandoor restaurant and the building owner used two extinguishers to try to knock down the fire. By then, the blaze was out of control.

Fire marshal Alan Gardiner said the blaze was "very stubborn." He said fire units were on the scene until after 8 p.m.

Taj Tandoor owner Arif Shakeel Ansari said the restaurant did not sustain fire damage. He said the business, which opened in January 2004, may be closed for a month or two while cleanup work is underway.

Firefighters managed to keep the blaze from spreading to the A-1 Grocery store, which is located next to the restaurant.

A GoFundMe campaign has been established to provide help to those who lived in the six apartments. The website may be reached HERE.

LCP Group of Vestal was called to the scene after the fire was extinguished to demolish the damaged apartment house.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 772-8400 extension 233.

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