A fire on Sunday, July 20, 2026 destroyed structures at the Capital Combat Zone — home to the seasonal Field of Horrors haunted attraction — at 100 Farrell Road in the Town of Brunswick. The Speigletown District Volunteer Fire Company was among the first departments on scene, and crews from across the region fought the fire for about an hour before bringing it under control. No injuries were reported, and fire investigators later determined the cause to be electrical.
On the fireground
Speigletown and mutual-aid companies were dispatched to 100 Farrell Road for multiple calls reporting a structure fire — a caller reported one of the haunted houses was ablaze. The first chief responding radioed the dispatcher to transmit a second alarm while still en route, having spotted a heavy black column of smoke visible in the distance.
The first-arriving chief found multiple structures well involved and immediately requested an additional alarm for a tanker task force. Crews established a water supply nearby and ran full tanker operations as firefighters worked with multiple hand lines to knock down the heavy fire. They faced challenges from fencing on scene and muddy conditions at the rear of the building, but stopped the fire from extending to any other structures on the property.
Firefighters worked the scene for an extended period, bringing the incident under control in about one hour. The Town of Brunswick brought in an excavator to pull apart the remaining portions of the building for overhaul. No injuries were reported.
From the Fire Chief
In a statement to the public, Speigletown Fire District Chief Dean Rysedorph said the Rensselaer County Bureau of Public Safety 911 center received the call at approximately 2:13 p.m., and that firefighters arrived to heavy fire conditions and quickly began an aggressive exterior attack.
“Thanks to the coordinated efforts of our firefighters and our mutual aid partners, the fire was brought under control, preventing further spread to nearby properties. At this time, our thoughts are with the owners and staff of Capital Combat Zone, and everyone affected by this incident.”
The chief said Rensselaer County Bureau of Public Safety fire investigators deemed the fire electrical in nature, and thanked the firefighters, EMS, law enforcement, dispatchers, mutual-aid departments, and utility crews who responded.
Who responded
The Speigletown Fire District thanked the following mutual-aid partners and agencies:
- Brunswick #1 Fire Company
- Center Brunswick Fire Department
- Eagle Mills Fire Department
- Hemstreet Park Fire Department
- Hoosic Valley Fire Department
- Johnsonville Fire Department
- Melrose Fire Department
- Mountain View Fire Department
- Pittstown Fire Department
- Pleasantdale Fire Department
- Raymertown Fire Department
- Schaghticoke Fire Department
- Town of Brunswick EMS
- Rensselaer County Bureau of Public Safety — EMS, Fire, and Dispatch
- Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office
- New York State Police — Brunswick
- Town of Brunswick Highway Department
- National Grid
Chief Rysedorph also thanked the community for its patience during the response, and asked neighbors to keep the Capital Combat Zone and its employees in their thoughts as they navigate a difficult time.
Community reactions
Sidewinder Photography’s photos from the scene drew a wave of response online. A sampling of what neighbors said:
- “Great job by all the firefighters on scene. Proud of all of you. Stay safe and stay cool.” — Karen H.
- “We live a couple miles from there and saw more than a dozen trucks go by our house headed over there. It’s way up in the fields off Rt 40 with no water nearby, so … they needed tankers and LOTS o’ people.” — Jill L., who figured about 12 companies were on site.
- “At least no one got hurt.” — Ethan A.
- “Very sad — they were a great place for haunted houses. Hope everyone is ok and they can be up and running for the Halloween season.” — Leonard S.
- And, fittingly for a haunt: “I ain’t afraid of no ghosts!” — Nick S.
Looking ahead
The owners have signaled they intend to come back. In statements reported by local outlets, they said the fire “may have damaged our attraction, but it hasn’t taken away the passion behind it,” and pledged to rebuild and “be ready to welcome you back for haunt season.” You can follow updates from Field of Horrors and the Capital Combat Zone.
Photos courtesy of Sidewinder Photography; fireground account adapted from Sidewinder’s coverage (Facebook), with the official statement from Speigletown Fire District Chief Dean Rysedorph. Learn more about our department on the Fire Department page.
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