Firefighters say a small brush fire on the second floor of the old Rochester Psychiatric Center on Elmwood Avenue was intentionally set. 

Seven people were rescued Saturday night after being trapped. The small fire broke out around 9 p.m. and smoke quickly spread throughout the building.

Five people were intially escorted out. Two others on the roof had to wait until it was safe to be brought down. According to firefighters, the flames caused substantial damage to more than one floor. 

Firefighters say their job wasn't done when the flames were extinguished.

"It's more of a police matter, a trespassing issue, and we want to make sure the building is clear so we'll work on that, probably in concert with the police, to make sure the building's clear once the fire's out and the smoke is cleared," said Captain Ed Kuppinger, Rochester Fire Department.

Redevelopment Plans

The old hospital is an abandoned building where no trespassing is allowed.

City officials say the property owners, an LLC with connections to Morgan Management, declined to pursue charges against the seven people who were in the building on the night of the fire.

In 2017, the city adopted zoning approvals to transform the nearly 180-acre area into a commercial and residential area. The proposal called the vacant hospital a "blight" on the city and town of Brighton, "riddled with asbestos and frequently vandalized.”

Since part of the property sits in Brighton, it would need zoning approval from the town before any kind of development could move forward. However, town officials say it has not received any kind of application for development of the property. 

At this time, the building’s future is uncertain.

Spectrum News reached out to Morgan Management, but they declined to comment.

The Arson Task Force says it is seeking more than one suspect in connection to the fire. Anyone with information is asked to call 911. 

Brown Out Issues 

Saturday night's fire came less than a week into the city's new dynamic staffing model for Rochester city fire stations. These so-called "brown outs" close down one station a night.

The city firefighter's union posted some numbers online about the size of the response, saying a little more than two-thirds of on-duty firefighters responded to the former psychiatric center. The union said 14 of 20 active companies were there, leaving the other six to cover the rest of the city's calls.

Local 1071 has been critical of dynamic staffing, saying this leaves the city "gravely under-protected."

A post on the union's Facebook page said, "Despite claims to the contrary, the city's own study cited a 'lack of depth of resources' and suggested adding two additional fire companies and last night we saw exactly why."

The city spokesperson responded in a statement:

"We are not going to unduly scare people by discussing deployment on a night-by-night basis because public safety is not at risk. Attempts by anyone to stoke fear by misrepresenting the facts of the Fitch study for their financial gain is shameful."