BY MATT LINDSEY
North Country This Week

RENSSELAER FALLS — Volunteers from the American Red Cross provided immediate emergency aid to 11 people after a multi-family fire Saturday on Rensselaer Street.

The Red Cross provided financial assistance for necessities such as shelter, food, and clothing to three families.

One family was one adult and a ​13-year-old child. A second family was two adults, and the third, two adults and five children, ages 6, 8, 9, 12, and 17.

Volunteers also offered health services and comfort kits containing personal care items, as well as stuffed animals for the younger children. In the coming days, Red Cross staff and volunteers will remain available to help those affected by the fire as they navigate the road to recovery.

The fire destroyed an apartment building at 209 Rensselaer Street but everyone made it out safely, including a pet. The blaze was reported around 1:30 p.m. by a tenant.

Rensselaer Falls, Canton, Morley, DeKalb, Ogdensburg, Lisbon and Heuvelton fire departments responded, along with state police.

Dallas Denny, Rensselaer Falls fire chief, said there were five apartments in the building and that at least two people were home at the time of the blaze.

Denny said firefighters were unable to save the structure, but did stop the fire from spreading to a nearby home.

The brick building with wooden beams burned too quickly for firefighters to save the inside of the building, Denny said. Once rescue personnel confirmed everyone was out the the building, the decision was made not to send firefighters inside.

"I wasn't putting them in danger," Denny said.

A combination of strong winds and the fire spreading so quickly made a save virtually impossible, he said.

No injuries were reported.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.