Fire at Schodack Amazon facility under investigation

SCHODACK – Firefighters were called to the Amazon Fulfilment Center in Schodack late Wednesday evening.

Rensselaer County dispatch officials tell NewsChannel 13 a cardboard compactor in the back of the building caught on fire.

Several local emergency crews responded. The fire was put out in about 35 minutes. Firefighters left the scene after two hours. There is no word on a cause.

This is the second fire at an Amazon facility in three days. There was a fire Monday at the company’s Staten Island facility.

Employees at the warehouse are upset over some of the working conditions and low pay.

Some employees say the recent fire is another reason why they should unionize.

They are ultimately going to vote on whether to join a union. The workers are planning a rally for next week.

We reached out to Amazon. They sent us a statement:

“Late Wednesday evening at our ALB1 facility in Schodack, NY,  just outside Albany, there was a small fire contained to a compactor that’s located just outside the doors of a loading dock. The site was evacuated and the local fire department responded to the scene. After a preliminary investigation, fire department officials declared the building safe for use,” said Paul Flaningan, an Amazon Spokesperson. Out of an abundance of caution, we sent night shift employees home with pay and cancelled Thursday’s day shift. These employees will also be paid. We are grateful for the swift actions of first responders and the employees who handled the situation appropriately.”