Shooting and Fire in Niagara Falls

Thursday, January 11, 2007 was a busy day in Niagara Falls, NY - at least for the fire and police of Niagara Falls. A fire and a shooting, separate of each other, kept these city workers busy.

Fire - At approximately 2:50 P.M. a fire broke out in the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center (also known as the NACC and the "old high school"). According to a tenant of the building someone smelled smoke and pulled the alarm alerting the rest of the building and called 911.

Smoke billowed throughout the large 166,000 square foot building, which was built in 1924. The building was evacuated and the fire department was on the premises quickly. Tenants said that they heard the fire trucks approaching before they had even left the building.

The Niagara Arts and Cultural Center (the NACC) is occupied by more than 75 artists ranging from a woodworking studio, graphic design studio, dance studio, music school, and much, much more. This was a nerve-wrecking time for many people as they stood watch as the Niagara Falls fire crew quickly investigated the source of the smoke. The fire was contained to a storage closet on the first floor of the arts and cultural center. According to fire officials there was a lot of "paper products, ceiling tiles and plastic materials" which was the source of the abundant amount of smoke. Damages are estimated to be between $5,000 and $10,000. Fortunately, there were no injuries. Tenants of the building were able to return to their studios around 5 P.M. According to their website the NACC is "operating as normal" though they advise students to contact their instructors prior to lessons to make sure that schedules are the same.

Niagara Falls Fire Department should be commended for their quick work in locating and extinguishing the fire.

Shooting - If a fire wasn't enough excitement in the city of Niagara Falls, later that evening there was a shooting in the Wal-Mart parking lot on Porter Road. There were police from the City of Niagara Falls, Town of Niagara, Niagara County Sheriff's Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It was evident to the observer that whatever happened was something serious.

There is little information about what happened exactly though officials have stated that the incident was in conjunction with a gun trafficking investigation that was being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms as well as the city of Niagara Falls police. Some sources state that the victim was an undercover officer though some say that it was not. Either way, officials have stated that the victim's wounds are not life threatening. Four people were arrested in the investigation though no names have been released at this time.