Six People Escape Injury in Binghamton House Fire

A fire that damaged a two-family home on Binghamton's North Side may have been accidental in nature.

The blaze at 38 Doubleday Street was reported around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday.

WATCH: Video of the damaged house at the end of this story.

Binghamton firefighters battled a blaze at 38 Doubleday Street on October 21, 2026. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

According to the fire department, the first units on the scene found heavy fire in the rear of the two-story building. The blaze was spreading to the second floor and to the attic.

Firefighters were told there may have been people inside the building. They searched both floors and confirmed everyone had been able to get out.

Doubleday Street was closed around a fire scene on October 21, 2026. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

Three people who were in the building when the blaze broke out said they were alerted to the blaze by shouts of "Fire!"

They told a reporter the fire apparently was caused by a problem with a gas heater two women were using to keep warm. They said they believed police had arrested the women.

Neighbors said the house was supposed to be vacant but people were staying there.

A container of kerosene heater fuel was observed in the debris outside the fire-damaged house on Doubleday Street. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

The three people who had been in the house at the time of the fire said they had been staying there since last November.

They said they spent the night out in the cold because they had nowhere to stay after the blaze.

Debris was strewn around the rear of 38 Doubleday Street on October 22, 2026. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

A Red Cross representative visited the scene Thursday morning to offer assistance.

A legal notice last spring indicated foreclosure proceedings for the property were about to start.

Graffiti messages have been scrawled on the sides of the house. The words "Trap House" were written in red spray near the front doors.

According to Binghamton fire department officials, the blaze remains under investigation.

Binghamton police investigators could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.

WNBF NEWS VIDEO: A look around the fire-damaged house on October 22, 2026.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or call (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.