Major Fire at Abandoned Doane Stuart School in Albany [VIDEO]

Major Fire at Abandoned Doane Stuart School in Albany [VIDEO]

Terry O’Donnell

Update 9:12pm: Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan tells NewsChannel 13 the building is a total loss. Officials are asking anyone with video of the fire to please share with investigators.

Crews are battling a massive blaze at what was once the Doane Stuart School near Southern Boulevard in Albany’s South End.

Flames can be seen for miles, including over the river in Rensselaer County.

Firefighters say the entire building is engulfed and in danger of collapse.

Police are asking people to avoid the area as some roads have been blocked off. Firefighters are trying to keep the flames from spreading across the campus to nearby buildings.

No word on the cause or if anyone was inside the building.

The school released a statement to News 10:

The faculty, staff, administration, and alumni at Doane Stuart are heartbroken to hear about the fire at our old campus. It was an absolutely beautiful building and property that held years of memories for so many of us. Doane Stuart was a tenant of the property from 1975 until June of 2009 when we moved to our current campus in Rensselaer. Our thoughts are with everyone who is grieving the loss of this special landmark in Doane Stuart’s history.

The Times Union says the property has been mostly vacant since 2009, when the school relocated to Rensselaer County. Though a new owner had planned to convert the buildings to apartments and townhouses, little work had been done.

feature photo: Times Union Twitter Video

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