Rising Phoenix destroyed by fire Tuesday night

ALBANY — An Albany business was in shambles Wednesday morning following an overnight blaze that saw flames engulf Rising Phoenix on Slappey Boulevard.

According to reports from the Albany Fire Department, firefighters responded to a building fire call on the 600 block of North Slappey Boulevard at approximately 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Assistant Fire Chief Rubin Jordan said that when the first responders arrived at the scene they encountered heavy flames and smoke coming from the multi-story structure.

Jordan said the flames had reach the second story of the building making it difficult for firefighters to get the blaze under control.

“It got over us,” said Jordan. “We got it under control after about an hour.”

Officers spent the day Wednesday shifting through debris in the building where they ultimately determined the cause of the fire was electrical, stemming from an “unspecified electrical short on the second floor,” said Jordan.

Jordan added that the estimated amount of the damage was just north of $160,000 which included the building and its contents.

Despite the extensive damage, Jordan said the building had been unoccupied at the time of the fire and that no one had been injured. He added that firefighters were also able to save two turtles which were being kept in aquariums on the premises.

Carolyn Robertson was listed as the owner/occupant of the building on the AFD incident report. Robertson started the business in January of 2015, having purchased the Bio-Buzz from that store’s owner, Stephen Bradford.