Six dead in Brooklyn fire that consumed a two-story wooden home
A lithium ion battery was found at the scene of the blaze in Sunset Park, which killed four adults inside the house and two others at the hospital.
By Giulia Donovan ·
Six people died in a fast-moving fire that tore through a two-story house in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn early Thursday morning. The blaze, which began at 1:39 a.m., resulted in the deaths of four adults found inside the residence and two others who were transported to a hospital in cardiac arrest.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani described the incident as an intense three-alarm fire. He stated at the scene that the neighborhood would face a long process of mourning and recovery. "This was an intense fast-growing three-alarm fire," Mamdani said. "It will take a long time for this neighborhood to mourn the neighbors they lost this morning and to recover from this immense grief."
A lithium ion battery was discovered at the scene, though officials have not yet determined if the device sparked the fire. The structure, located at 58th Street near Seventh Avenue, was constructed entirely of wood. In contrast, the brick homes across the street remained largely intact. The fire spread to the exterior of one neighboring building in a row of 25, displacing eight residents.
Firefighters arrived at the scene in three minutes and 18 seconds. Upon arrival, they found flames consuming the basement and both upper floors. FDNY First Deputy Commissioner Daniel Flynn noted that heavy fire was present and people were trapped. "There was heavy fire that they encountered on arrival. People were trapped," Flynn said. "They were able to rescue four people from that building and transport them to local hospitals."
Two residents trapped behind window bars on the rear of the first floor were rescued after firefighters gained entry through a back door. The stairs between the first and second floors partially collapsed during the blaze. Four other residents survived the fire, with one in serious condition and the others suffering minor injuries. Three firefighters and two police officers also sustained minor injuries.
It took 231 FDNY members just under three hours to bring the fire under control. FDNY Chief of Operations Kevin Woods said units moved aggressively to place hose lines on each floor. "Upon arrival, we had fire on every floor: cellar, first and second floor. Fire blowing out every window, meeting us at the front door," Woods said. "Our units moved in very aggressively, getting a hose line on each one of those floors for a very, very quick knockdown."
